Serving up excitement: the NGU tennis team and their expectations
Andrew Brackett, Staff Writer
As fall begins the preseason of the North Greenville University tennis team comes to an exciting conclusion. Looking ahead to the season in the spring, the team has high expectations.
The tennis team led by men’s and women’s Head Tennis coach Michelle Tease is hoping to be more competitive than last year. As the season opener approaches, NGU tennis team is giving their all. Soon the team will face off against conference rivals and potentially leave their mark on the national stage. One thing centers the sights of the team. They want to win.
One of the driving forces behind the team’s newfound inspiration is Tease. Tease was the assistant coach last year but has taken the reins this season and things are looking good. “We are off to a very good start. It is often challenging because we have more international players and they have to adjust a lot of their play for us.”
Tease goes on to say that because of the way the tennis courts are made here it can be challenging for international players to adjust to the concrete courts rather than clay or any other material. However, Tease says they have some shining stars that are looking to do better than last year. Tease also expects the team to become a more cohesive unit throughout season due to her and previous coach’s efforts.
Both the men’s and women’s team are fired up about the upcoming season. One player from the men’s team stood out with excitement. Juan Arbelaez, sophomore marketing major, recognizes that the team is putting in the effort to overcome their previous season. Arbelaez said, “We are working hard to getting better every day. I hope that we can do better than we did last year, with the new people we have this season I think we can get further in the conference tournament.”
The women’s team does not fall short in their expectations either. Megan Turner, sophomore marketing major, is one of the players that is bringing the excitement to the team. Turner said, “We have come back really strong, and I am really excited for the season. I definitely think that we will do better than last season. We have been working on our mental strength.” The women’s team seems to be looking forward to those tough match ups against conference teams such as Tusculum University.
The team is driving towards success and Tease is behind the wheel. In an interview, Tease said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we were in the national championship game this year.” The team is hungry for the spring season. The team wants to show the skills they have honed, the sportsmanship they have learned and how Christ makes a difference.
