The Crimson Tide women’s tennis team is looking to begin its fall campaign with a strong showing in Cary, N.C., at the Duke Fab Four Invite.
Head coach Jenny Mainz, who is entering her 16th season at the helm of the women’s tennis program, said despite the recent success the team has had in past years, there is still room for improvement in the fall season.
“Well it’s been a while since the girls have competed,” Mainz said. “So I think the biggest thing through the fall is setting the tone in the first tournament and sharpening up. Our goal is to be competitive and compete with a lot of tenacity.”
Competitive is exactly what the Tide has been in recent years. Last year, the team maintained a top-10 ranking throughout its spring schedule. Mainz said the tournaments in the fall help prepare her players for both conference and non-conference opponents, beginning with the Duke Fab Four Invite.
The Tide will send four players including No. 10 ranked junior Mary Anne MacFarlane, sophomore Emily Zabor, and freshmen Maya Jansen and Natalia Maynetto. The team will get its first look at new SEC opponent, Texas A&M, among other schools that Mainz said were among the nation’s elite.
“The competition is very good,” Mainz said. “It’s a great field and some of those teams finished top five or top 10 in the country, so it’s not just them going into their first tournament because they certainly will be thrown into the fire.”
Although winning the tournament is a primary goal, Mainz said she is more focused on seeing how her players compete early on and learn some of the team’s strengths and weaknesses.
“You know, I just want to see how they compete,” she said. “I’m sure we are going to come back after the completion of the tournament and identify some things we need to work on, so that’s what the tournament is for too.”
Improvement is what Mainz said she preaches to her team every day in order to maintain the individual and team success the Tide has enjoyed the past couple of seasons.
“Champions realize it’s a process to be respected,” Mainz said. “I say to the team daily, ‘Let’s get a little bit better today, let’s take one step forward and let’s chip away.’”
After only a single practice, Mainz said she is impressed with her players’ work ethic and preparation for the fall tournaments.
“The girls are working hard,” she said. “The spirit of the team and the charisma seems very energetic and very positive. The two senior captains, Alexa Gaurachi and Antonia Foehse, have done a good job at establishing leadership.”
Mainz said although it is the team’s first competition, it is still crucial to see how the team performs in order to establish a winning culture this fall.
“I think it’s not only important that we represent Alabama well,” she said. “But also set the tone on how we want to start the season.”
