This April, Trinity women’s tennis has been busy traveling to cap off a stellar season. Sitting at 17-4 and ranked No. 11 in the nation, the team now looks ahead to the SCAC tournament on April 25.
On April 18, the Tigers lost 7-0 to the now No. 10 ranked Washington University Bears in St. Louis, MO. This was a rare loss for the Tigers, but the Tigers recovered the next day to take their match against Grinnell College 6-1.
“One of the goals I’ve always tried to work on, especially with this being my last year, has been leaving everything out in the court and trying to do everything I can to win a match and knowing that, if I lose a match, it’s because that person was better than me that day, and not because I felt like could have tried something else,” Hill said. “I want to put the maximum effort I can into every single match I play.”
Trinity’s rigorous travel schedule has been a major part of the season. The team left San Antonio on Wednesday of last week and came back to campus at 2 a.m. on Sunday. First-year Lucy Nabedrick described how she has managed being a student and a collegiate athlete.
“It’s been hard to find balance, but I think once I got my footing I felt pretty comfortable and confident in it,” Nabedrick said. “I think our coach does a really good job of making sure that we are taking care of ourselves and so it never gets to be like too, too much, but it’s definitely a lot especially with travel and managing work stuff.”
Tennis is more individualized as a sport than many others, but the Tigers emphasized the importance of team chemistry to their success. The matches played in doubles contribute significantly to the team’s overall score, and the tennis team has created a close knit community that supports one another.
“Since we are an individual sport, obviously we’re not all on court together, but I think we all do a really good job supporting each other, and I think our team spirit really puts this above other tennis teams,” Nabedrick said. “I think that’s one thing that we’re really good at and that we really [pride] ourselves on. We’re always cheering for each other and we’re there for each other all the time like when somebody’s having a rough match or a rough day there’s just always a constant support and you can talk to anybody.”
Following this weekend’s tournaments, the Tigers will head to the SCAC tournament in Waco, TX. Senior captain Ruth Hill describes how the team is approaching the tournament.
“I think our mindset is we’re trying to keep the same mindset as we would just a normal match, and not build things up too much in our minds,” Hill said. “I think that’s been a big theme for us this year. It’s to treat every single match the same, no matter who we’re playing. … We’re just trying to go into it with that same mindset of, take care of business, get in there, keep our heads down, do what we need to do and not build anything up too much.”
Along with their success in winning matches, the team prides itself on the environment their team creates during matches.
“We’re gonna give it all we have again. Spirit is number one, so we’re gonna play our best ball. Also we’re gonna be the loudest team out there,” Hill said. “We’re just really gonna have an environment that you don’t see a lot of tennis teams having.”
Outside of success in competition, one women’s tennis athlete has also managed to use her athletic success to set her up for the future. The Jim McKay scholarship is awarded annually by the NCAA to two student-athletes — one male and one female — who are interested in pursuing a career in sports communication and public relations. This year, senior Sam Miller was awarded $10,000 to pursue her master’s degree in sport management in England.
“I honestly was shocked. It truly helped all of my dreams of going abroad and getting my master’s degree in England come true,” Miller said. “It was a really competitive scholarship that I was nominated for by Dr. Tingle back in the fall. I am super thankful and very blessed and am very excited about going to England.”
After enrolling in Trinity’s Sport in England study abroad experience, Miller deepened her love for sports. Miller said her time in the study abroad program is a major reason why she decided to go abroad to get her master’s degree in England.
“I originally came in as a history major and was hoping to be a teacher and coach, so I always knew I wanted to be involved in sports somehow, especially since I’ve been a tennis player since I was four,” Miller said. “After I took a couple of sport management classes, which is my minor, I knew this is exactly what I wanted to do and I fell in love with it.”
The women’s tennis team will be in Waco, TX the weekend of April 24 to April 27. The tournament is hosted at the Waco Regional Tennis and Fitness Center. The Tigers have won the last three SCAC Championships, and if their streak continues they will head to the DIII Championship.
