This year, T.J. Yeldon and Amari Cooper sealed themselves as freshmen phenomenons who were able to make an immediate impact. But they aren’t the only Alabama freshmen to have contributed to their respective teams’ success.
Freshmen Maya Jansen and Natalia Maynetto have already made an impact for the women’s tennis team in their first year, having helped the Crimson Tide to a 10-1 record so far this season. They have also helped Alabama become one of the top teams in the country, as the Tide is currently ranked No. 5 nationally.
Maynetto said she’s enjoyed the success she’s seen in her first year at the Capstone.
“The season has gone pretty well, both as a team and individual,” Maynetto said “I’ve gotten great matches and have competed pretty well.”
Earlier this season, Alabama competed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s National Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va. Still, the Tide had to go through the Clemson Tigers before being invited to the tournament.
Maynetto made her presence felt in the match, helping clinch a 4-2 win over the Tigers and a subsequent invitation to the indoor championships. Maynetto’s match against Clemson was the clincher that sent the Tide to Charlottesville.
“I really didn’t realize the importance of it ‘til after my match,” Maynetto said. “I didn’t think it would come down to my match. It was great, it felt great and I was excited for us – it was awesome.”
Like Maynetto, Jansen has already made a difference, as she is Alabama’s third singles player and is currently ranked No. 77 in the country. Jansen said the most important thing for her is doing what’s best for the team.
“The season has been good,” Jansen said. “Both Natalia and I have gotten off to good starts. We’re just trying to do whatever we can to help us win. We are doing the best we can out there.”
Jansen and Maynetto also had the additional pressure of acclimating to college life, all while balancing tennis and their academics. Jansen said the transition was tough at first, but she has now become more accustomed to balancing her schedule.
“It was tough,” Jansen said. “I’m glad that we had our fall to get our feet wet. It’s really tough to try and balance everything, and I think that’s what we struggled with in the fall, but now that we’re in the spring I think our workouts and our tennis have improved.”
Maynetto agreed with Jansen, saying the hardest thing for her was learning time management.
“The most difficult thing has been balancing between schoolwork and tennis,” Maynetto said. “Traveling is also difficult because missing school here is harder than missing high school. So it’s all about managing your time.”
As the season continues for the Tide, Maynetto and Jansen both said they want to keep contributing to the ultimate team goal to compete for the Southeastern Conference Title and the NCAA Title.
“We want to win SECs, continue winning as a team and finish in the top 10,” Maynetto said.
“I think we are trying to get as high as we can in SECs,” Jansen said. “We really want to strive for NCAAs and see how much damage we can do.”
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