The Alabama women’s tennis team is ready to compete in the Southeastern Conference championships this weekend in Starkville, Miss.
The Crimson Tide finished the regular season as the No. 8 team in the nation and compiled an 18-4 record, finishing fourth in the SEC behind Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M.
Sophomore Emily Zabor said everyone on the team stepped up to contribute to make it a successful regular season.
“The season has been really encouraging,” Zabor said. “A lot of us have stepped to the plate this season, especially freshmen, and we just took on our roles in whatever way we need to do.”
Head coach Jenny Mainz said the team has done some really good things this season, which it hopes to carry over into the postseason.
“Everyone has played together, which is really inspiring,” Mainz said. “There has been a lot of good things come out of it, and even in the defeats we have had some good learning tools come out of it.
“The first thing I said to the team after the final match against Georgia is, it’s a new season, postseason, conference, NCAA’s – it’s 0-0. Anything can happen. You have to be ready for anything.”
Finishing fourth in the SEC earned Alabama a double-bye in the SEC Tournament. The Tide’s first match will be Friday at 11 a.m. in the quarterfinals against Missouri, Mississippi State or Tennessee.
Zabor said the team is preparing for the conference tournament by working on its own game and not focusing on any opponent in particular.
“We are focusing on what we can do better instead of who were going to play,” Zabor said. “We are building ourselves up both individually and as a team, continuing to work on our strengths so we can feel completely prepared before we go in on what we need to do.”
Last season, Alabama lost to Georgia 4-2 in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. There are a few things the Tide needs to do if they want to improve from last year’s result. Zabor said the biggest thing for the team is to give it all it has on every point.
“We need to take one match at a time and really fight as a team,” Zabor said. “We need to focus on every single point and fight for every single point. We just need to worry about what we’re going to do every point.
“We feel good about it,” Mainz said. “In the SEC Tournament, you have to be ready to compete, ready to show up and ready to bring your best. I think we are in a good position, and I’m encouraged and optimistic.”
