By Lisa McMahan
Despite a substantial number of new recruits and injuries, both the men's and women's tennis teams hope to serve up their best performance in each and every match leading up to the WCC - and possibly the NCAA - Championships.
After competing in the Boise State Invitational and the ITA Regionals, the men's team has one more invitational at the University of Washington this weekend and is then finished competing until the spring season starts in January.
Doubles pair seniors Filip Zivkovic and Evan Schleining progressed to the finals at BSU, and fought their way to the quarterfinals at regionals.
"It was one of the biggest doubles wins of my career," Zivkovic said.
Aaron Gross, head men's tennis coach, agrees that the duo's success in the first two tournaments is one of the team's highlights thus far, but also looks forward to seeing what his new players are capable of.
"The key to our success is how quickly our young players can develop," Gross said. "We've got great senior leaders and these guys have come right in line."
The new recruits' willingness to accept the team's attitude established by the tennis program is paramount, according to Gross.
"There is a culture passed down from tons of really solid players throughout the years," Gross said. "The guys who have come in this year really understand that."
Four of the nine men listed on the tennis roster are new to the team.
"The cool thing about college tennis is that we're so used to playing individually," said sophomore Geoff Hernandez. "But there is a team aspect to it that brings in another level of excitement."
Gross says his team plans to take next season's matches one at a time.
"The next match is always the most important match," Gross said. "We want to give ourselves a chance to win every time we step on the court."
Hernandez is especially excited about their home games, including an opportunity to play one of their rivals, University of Oregon, at home this year.
Both teams hope to attract larger crowds this spring, especially now that construction work has cleared from the tennis center, making it more easily accessible.
"We're solid this year, and we were last year too," Hernandez said. "We want some crowds - it's not a Wimbledon atmosphere, it's more like any other sport."
The women have a promising season ahead, as well. Their first tournament at Washington State University culminated with junior Lacey Pflibsen and senior Megan Sporndli bringing home the doubles title, according to women's Head Coach Susie Campbell-Gross.
"It was a good way to start the season," Campbell-Gross said. "It really boosted their confidence."
Although the women's team is done competing this fall, they will continue to practice over winter break and will hopefully add additional recruits to their current team of six.
"Most teams are comprised anywhere between six and 12 players," Pflibsen said.
Campbell-Gross is in the process of recruiting and hopes to start the new season with eight women.
"We'd be okay with seven, but with injuries as they have been, it would be helpful for us to have eight," Campbell-Gross said.
Although freshman Valeska Hoath is recovering from an injury, Pflibsen believes she is still a valuable asset to the team. Despite the difficulties associated with practicing and competing without one or more players, the team is unified both on and off the court.
"In singles, you're out there by yourself and you can't depend on any other player but yourself on your court. But that doesn't mean you're alone," Pflibsen said. "In a sense, it's a team sport because I don't feel alone out there even when I am."
Another challenge faced by both teams in terms of attracting fans is the duration of their matches.
"In a facility that has six courts, a match can be done in two and a half hours. We only have three courts so our matches can take up to five or six hours," Gross said.
"Overwhelmingly, though, the people that have come out over the years are very much entertained. It's not a sit-on-your-hands kind of thing."
