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By Mitch Gilbert |
Many tennis teams take a structured and predictable approach to preparing for their upcoming season. They spend weeks practicing their serves, returns, backhands, forehands and volleys. Though the women’s tennis team has not forgotten the fundamentals, they have been taking a slightly different approach than other teams in the WCC. They’re putting a significant amount of time and focus into conditioning and mental preparation.
In order for the women on the team to be confident and ready to play they spend practice time meditating and keeping journals.
“We need to improve on our confidence. We are motivated to win and we know that we are good enough,” sophomore Tori Troesch said. “We have to know the damage that we can do to the other teams in the conference.”
The team opened their 2014 spring season going 1-1 with a win over University of South Carolina-Upstate on Jan. 25 and a loss to the University of Oregon on Feb. 1. They’re battling back from a tough 2013 season last year, going 8-14 overall, and 1-8 in conference play.
The Pilots have a tough schedule this season, mostly in their own conference, having to play WCC powerhouses San Francisco, San Diego, Pepperdine and Santa Clara.
With six returners from last year and six new players added to the roster, the Pilots have significantly increased the size of their team. The team is dominated by young players, made up of two seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and two freshmen.
After a losing record last year, the Pilots hope they will have the confidence to perform at their highest level against some of the most difficult teams in the WCC.
“We just need to continue paving the way like we did last year,” sophomore Maja Mladenovic said. “We need to keep fighting and keep pushing harder and harder. We are not going to panic when we play a team like San Diego. We are going to stay confident and play our game.”
Mladenovic, one of the six returners, is coming off a strong freshman year. Mladenovic is currently ranked as the number one singles player on the team and was named the January U.S. Bank Student-Athlete of the Month. In January, Mladenovic completed a perfect 4-0 singles record, and a 3-1 record in doubles. Mladenovic was named one of only two underclassman to the pre-season 2014 All-WCC Team.
“We are young and talented. There is a lot we can improve on, but we do so every day,” Mladenovic said.
Mladenovic is not only a leader on the court, but off the court as well.
“Maja has been great ever since she came here,” junior Sophie van den Aarssen said. “She pumps the team up with her energy and gives the rest of the team a standard for how we want to play.”
This team wants to go beyond expectations with the upcoming season.
“We will give the other conference teams a run for their money,” Troesch said. “We will never give up on our conditioning and we will shock some teams in the conference.”
This season marks the 20th year that head coach Susie Campbell-Gross will lead the Pilots’ women’s team. She is a two-time WCC Coach of the Year and holds the record for wins for a women’s tennis coach at UP. She puts a major point of emphasis on her players excelling not only on the court, but also in the classroom. She’s coached a total of 11 WCC All-Academic honorees, including three last season.
Their next game is in Seattle on Feb. 22 against the University of Washington. Their first home game of the season will be against Northern Arizona on Feb. 24.
