Men’s and women’s tennis are just beginning a season that could be filled with growing pains for both teams; the men’s team has eight underclassmen and the women’s team has five. Both teams have the passion to win, but gaining experience is equally important.
The two teams had matches the weekends of Feb. 22-23 and Feb. 28 – March 1, but failed to win any of them.
The men’s team took on Lewis and Clark and Linfield on the road on Feb. 22-23, losing 9-0 and 7-2 respectively.
First-year student Yuwang Ha (Nanjing, Jiangsu, China) thinks that confidence will help them throughout the season.
“I think the most important thing is the confidence; if we have the confidence to win, we will,” Ha said.
That same weekend, the women’s team fell to Lewis and Clark and Linfield at home, finishing both games with a score of 9-0. First-year student Tresa Bild (Boise, Idaho) noted how the level of physical stress has increased.
“The season is physically strenuous. I’ve played high-intensity, competitive tennis for about six years, but this is a new level of physical demand. It will be tough keeping my body loose and tough enough to keep that high intensity week in and week out,” Bild said.
With the amount of underclassmen on the team, the increased competitiveness will help them grow as the season goes on, and with that, the chemistry will become even stronger.
“We’ve all bonded really well already, and it has made transitioning on to the team very easy,” Bild said.
This past weekend, on Feb. 28-March 1, the teams took on George Fox and Pacific University with the women on the road and the men at home.
The men fell to Pacific 9-0 and George Fox 7-2, but the season is just beginning. They fell 0-4 overall.
The women’s team did not see better results, falling to both George Fox and Pacific 8-1.
Just being part of a team is important for first-year student Tamara Runnicles (San Francisco, Calif.).
“It’s really awesome! It gives you a family in a way and makes you feel like you’re doing something with the school, besides academics. It’s exciting and makes me feel involved and proud to say I’m at the University of Puget Sound,” Runnicles said.
Being part of a family-like atmosphere will help throughout the season, since the players will have each other to lean on through the tough times. It’s just the start of a long season that will see tremendous improvement by the end of the season.
On the weekend of March 7-8 the next women’s team games at home will be played against College of Idaho and Whitman.
The men’s team will play on March 6-7 against Whitman on the road and Willamette at home.
The future looks bright for both teams; the results will just take a little time to show.
