Tennis Team an Ace This Season
Sam Tikka
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: Sports
The SNC tennis team is having their best year in a long time. With a roster that includes five freshman and only two upperclassmen, most teams knew the Knights were going to be solid, but not a lot of people expected them to be so strong this season. They are proving other teams wrong and working well as a team to contend within the Midwest Conference North region. Team co-captain Nate Tackaberry '10 says the key to their success this season has been mental toughness.
"The mental part of the game has been huge with new leadership. It is a completely different atmosphere this year," he said. "Mental toughness has been a big key and, when getting down big in games, we have stayed focused at the task at hand and always feel we can come back from any deficit to win the game."
Over spring break, the team took a trip to Hilton Head Island South Carolina to compete in a national competition. Before the trip, the Knights had been lacking consistency, by not being able to string many head to head wins against their opponents. They went into spring break with a 6-7 overall record and needed the trip to help turn their season around. Over the trip, the Knights went 5-1 and ended the trip on a 4 match winning streak. Tackaberry said the trip helped team bonding and showed the Knights how good they could be.
"Being under one roof allowed the team to get to know each other better. We did a lot of team activities and were able to gel to each others' personalities and brought that positive attitude back to campus and has been a huge factor in our success this season," he said.
The men have used the confidence and momentum gained over spring break to improve on their winning streak when they arrived back at school. They have used the team chemistry to already have more wins than the 13 they achieved in the 2008 season. Tackaberry saw the five freshmen on the team really develop and mature in the second half of the season.
"It's very impressive to see those young players stay strong mentally with key wins coming from them. It is very good to have them playing well and helping carry our team in close matches with key points, which helps propel us to victory."
With the season winding down, the Knights can be proud of what they have accomplished this season. They are looking to serve up an ace when they take part in the Midwest Conference Tournament Championships in Madison. The second half of the season has been one to remember for the Knights, and Tackaberry said practice habits and clutch performances have led to the success of this year's team.
"Hard work in the off-season and even now has lead to our success this season. Our young team has a better drive to win matches and be successful and this team has wanted it really bad from the beginning of the season, which has led to our overall team success."
"The mental part of the game has been huge with new leadership. It is a completely different atmosphere this year," he said. "Mental toughness has been a big key and, when getting down big in games, we have stayed focused at the task at hand and always feel we can come back from any deficit to win the game."
Over spring break, the team took a trip to Hilton Head Island South Carolina to compete in a national competition. Before the trip, the Knights had been lacking consistency, by not being able to string many head to head wins against their opponents. They went into spring break with a 6-7 overall record and needed the trip to help turn their season around. Over the trip, the Knights went 5-1 and ended the trip on a 4 match winning streak. Tackaberry said the trip helped team bonding and showed the Knights how good they could be.
"Being under one roof allowed the team to get to know each other better. We did a lot of team activities and were able to gel to each others' personalities and brought that positive attitude back to campus and has been a huge factor in our success this season," he said.
The men have used the confidence and momentum gained over spring break to improve on their winning streak when they arrived back at school. They have used the team chemistry to already have more wins than the 13 they achieved in the 2008 season. Tackaberry saw the five freshmen on the team really develop and mature in the second half of the season.
"It's very impressive to see those young players stay strong mentally with key wins coming from them. It is very good to have them playing well and helping carry our team in close matches with key points, which helps propel us to victory."
With the season winding down, the Knights can be proud of what they have accomplished this season. They are looking to serve up an ace when they take part in the Midwest Conference Tournament Championships in Madison. The second half of the season has been one to remember for the Knights, and Tackaberry said practice habits and clutch performances have led to the success of this year's team.
"Hard work in the off-season and even now has lead to our success this season. Our young team has a better drive to win matches and be successful and this team has wanted it really bad from the beginning of the season, which has led to our overall team success."
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