By: James Barkley, Contributing Writer
A new season for Wofford Tennis has begun as both the men’s and women’s teams start their season that will hopefully result in a Southern Conference Championship. Along with a new season comes new challenges, but it appears both teams are up to the challenge and will be a force to be reckoned with in the SoCon.
The men’s team, lead by captains Park Schoen, a junior from Simpsonville, S.C., and Haris Poric, a senior from Sydney, Australia, looks to continue a hot start to the season and capitalize on as many opportunities as they can. The team feels like they are playing well. “The start to the season has been great. I believe this is the best record we’ve started out with since I’ve been here (6-3),” says Schoen. “We have some big matches coming up and I believe we are just going to keep improving.”
The team has been consistent with their play, and even having three losses on the season none of them have been back to back. The players are learning from their mistakes and using them to improve their play. One key to maintaining quality will be keeping the team healthy. Trevor Gotkowski and Andrew Graham, both seniors, are back after recovering from surgeries in the offseason and look to contribute to the team’s success.
The team has grown into a better unit despite a different dynamic than years past. “Our team has changed since last season in that we have a bunch of seniors and a bunch of freshmen from different parts of the world,” says Schoen. “This dynamic has been exciting and given the team a different feel, but we have definitely grown in becoming one big family.”
Having good chemistry builds bonds between teammates that will help carry their momentum through the ups and downs of the season and to help them achieve their goals. Schoen reflects on some of the goals he wants the team to achieve: “Some of the goals we hope to achieve this year are to have fun as a team. If we are having fun, we will push ourselves to do well and accomplish some great feats of hopefully winning a SoCon Championship. Our goal is just taking one practice, day and match at a time and not worrying about what is later down the road.”
The season is long and this group will have to keep pushing one another to maintain a high level of play. For now, the team is riding momentum that came from winning their last three matches. Beating Emmanuel College, King University and Kennesaw State, it seems everything is meshing for this group.
The Women’s Team has been experiencing similar success, starting out the season with a 6-2 record. They rattled off a four game winning streak, beating Florida A&M 6-1, Savannah State 6-0, Emmanuel College 7-0 and King University 7-0. The Terriers have seen a noticeable trend of improvement throughout the season, as Catherine Martin, a senior from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., notes: “Not only have our games improved but also we’ve played a lot of matches and learned how to adjust our strategies to our different opponents. We’ve become a great deal physically and mentally tougher, which is what will help us a lot when conference play comes around.”
It’s a long road to the SoCon Championship in April, but Martin assures the team is determined. “The team and I have our hearts set on winning the Southern Conference,” she says. “That’s the main goal and I believe that we have a big shot at achieving that this year.”
So far, the Terriers have outplayed their opponents, especially at home, posting an undefeated 4-0 record. They will look to capitalize on this excellent play and ride their hot streak far into the season.
