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Under the fluorescent lights of the Louisiana Pacific Tennis Center, the women's tennis team took to the court last weekend. Playing both Montana and Santa Clara in the two-day tennis event, the Pilots came out of the tournament with a win against University of Montana and a loss to Santa Clara University.
With tennis season just starting, the Pilots have been trying to focus the season on developing stamina and staying light on their feet.
"We were looking for 110 percent effort today," Head Coach Susie Campbell-Gross said at the Santa Clara match on Saturday. "Giving everything they possibly can, so that when they got off the court there was no regrets as far as the things we could control."
Campbell said it is important to stay energized in the fast paced sport.
"Physically, that's one thing that we know that wins matches - if you're ready and your body is moving," Campbell-Gross said.
Last weekend's games put the Pilots at six matches for the 2010 season, with two wins and four losses. This year, Campbell -Gross said, as with any year, the team is preparing for the Conference Tournament at the end of April. However, with 13 matches left in the season, the Pilot women still have a long road ahead of them.
"Everyone's working on something individually, but as a team it would be making sure we're energized and making sure that we are moving," Campbell-Gross said. "Making sure we are trusting in the things that we are working on in practice."
At the Montana match on Friday, the Pilots started off with an impressive sweep of all three doubles competitions, with an impressive scoring margin from sophomore Tessa Mini and junior Lacey Pflibsen at 8-2. After securing the doubles points, the players carried the confidence of these wins into the singles matches. Pflibsen, senior Megan Sporndli and freshman Valeska Hoath beat their opponents, securing the 5-2 victory.
Playing Santa Clara on Saturday, the Pilots fought hard to stay in the match. With sharp angling and fast serves from the Bronco's squad, the Pilots had to work to stay in the game.
Wins from Pilots' Sporndli (6-0, 6-3) and junior Stephanie Fuchs (7-5, 2-6, 11-9) captured two points for Portland. Mini (6-4, 0-6, 10-6) also fought hard to stay in the match, but, was unable to put it away in the three set game.
Santa Clara University also commanded the doubles sets with three wins, pushing the final point total to 5-2 Santa Clara. Although the team lost, according to assistant coach Charlie Yemm, it was a good day.
"We played a tough conference team and it's always a tough battle in this building," Yemm said. "We had a lot of close matches and I'm proud of everybody."
In the Pilots' first conference match, Yemm was encouraged by what he saw versus Santa Clara on Saturday. By maintaining their energy and exhibiting some fancy footwork, Yemm said the team showed promise early in the season. He also thinks the Pilots still have a lot of the season ahead and a lot of conference play left. Although there are things the team could work on, Yemm thought it was a great showing for their first games.
Fuchs thought the match could have gone either way.
"I feel like we left it all out there. I feel like we had the chances, and that's all you can ask for," Fuchs said. "It was a lot closer than 5-2. With a lot of the matches, if had it been a little different, it could have been us."
Sporndli also said the team gave their best effort, but thinks there were places the team could improve.
"Next time, we'll be sharper on volleys and certain shots we have to practice," Sporndli said. "We have to stay in the present, in the moment, in the match - knowing what we have to do and not getting ahead of ourselves."
Taking these ideas and developing them, the Pilots will face the University of Idaho (7-1) next week at the Tri Cities, Wash. at 3 p.m. With only a couple of close matches, the Vandals have dominated the scoreboards, winning several matches by a 7-0 margin and more by a 6-1 margin. Going into the game with a solid seven game winning streak, the Vandals may prove a tough opponent for the Pilots.
