The women’s tennis team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its season.
First defeating Syracuse Saturday 4-0, the Crimson Tide advanced to the championship match Sunday afternoon only to walk away with another 4-0 win against Virginia Tech. The Crimson Tide is now qualified to play in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, which will take place in February at the University of Virginia. This is Alabama’s third consecutive year to qualify.
“It was the first time this year that we have been in this [kind of] pressure situation,” coach Jenny Mainz said. “I like the way we handled ourselves. I like the way we fought and competed. We’ve got a lot of things we need to get better at, but that all being said, I think we had a really encouraging weekend.”
Mainz said she thinks as the weekend progressed, the girls raised their level of play. Although they won, she said she knows there are things they need to work on.
“We need to take our time more,” she said. “We’re rushing, and we’re forcing it a little bit. We need to slow down, settle down, and get our targets and not be rushed.”
Going into the weekend, she said she wanted to see better first serve percentage, and in the end, she said she thinks they could have done better and will continue to work on that. Then, with shot selection, she said she hopes to see more discipline.
Senior Emily Zabor said she knows she needs to work on her first serve percentage and movement.
“It’s good to have things to improve on in the beginning of the season,” Zabor said. “We want to peak in May. So if we just keep improving, it’s only going to get better.”
With a full crowd, the team’s excitement over its wins was only amplified. Senior Luicelena Perez said she loves playing at home. She said the crowds help pump the team up, and even for away games, they are still the same because their energy comes from within.
“I think it was a great start,” Perez said. “It’s real exciting. Last year I don’t think we had the level we have right now. Looking back right now, we’re really happy with the team that we have.”
