The Alabama women’s tennis team has opened its season strong and is eager to keep the momentum going. The Tide is currently 1-1 for the spring season after suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to No. 3 Baylor University.
“Playing Baylor was good experience for us,” head coach Jenny Mainz said. “We were in all the matches. I feel like we competed well across the board. The more times we are put in that high-pressure situation, the better our response will be the next time.”
The Tide hopes to regain its confidence from the fall season after its loss to Baylor.
“I think the momentum of our fall season has definitely carried over,” Mainz said. “Another huge factor in our success has been our two freshmen. They have stepped up and contributed in a major way.”
Sophomore Antonia Foehse said, “We have got to stay positive in big matches. We have to keep working hard and stick to our game.”
The Tide is still looking to improve. However, several aspects of Alabama’s game are producing results.
“We were up early in our matches, but we did not finish strong,” Foehse said. “However, it was a good weekend and I think the team learned a lot.”
Mainz shared the same opinion about the Tide’s match against Baylor. Mainz also believes the team has made improvements and is capitalizing on key aspects of its game.
“A major goal of ours is to win the doubles point,” Mainz said. “So far we have done a good job of achieving that goal. Winning the doubles point feels like a moral victory. It puts us in the match early and gives the team a confidence boost.”
The success the Tide is experiencing has not been gained on accident.
“We have been able to remain flexible and work our way through tough situations,” Mainz said, “That has allowed us to win some key games.”
This weekend, the Tide will play in New Orleans against Texas Tech University and Tulane University.
“I am very optimistic about this weekend and the upcoming season,” Mainz said. “We are working on the things we need to work on. We are playing with more confidence, and we are moving in the right direction.”
Both Texas Tech and Tulane are 2-0. The Tide will have to play well if they hope to win the tournament this weekend.
“This weekend I want to do a better job of playing aggressive,” Foehse said. “If I am up 4-0, like I was in my match last week, I don’t want to change the way I am playing the game. I want to keep the pressure on and finish strong.”
These early matches are important practice for the team before they begin playing major Southeastern Conference teams.
“What we need the most right now is to play matches and get experience before the SEC tournament,” Mainz said. “The upcoming matches we have should give us the practice we need to come in to the tournament strong.”
