Club tennis shows strength at tournament
A good performance in Austin showcases program's strength
Tom Tielleman
Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: Sports
The club tennis team went to battle for three days on the University of Texas' Intramural Tennis Courts in Austin, Texas, against 76 other teams this past weekend. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) Club Sectional Tournament, which lasted from Friday, Feb. 26, to Sunday, Feb. 28, featured a wide variety of teams at different talent levels. This allowed for Trinity club tennis to gauge their abilities against a wide range of opponents.
Trinity club tennis sent three teams to the meet. Trinity's first team, Team O'Hara, went 6-1 overall at the meet, only falling to Texas A&M, a top- three team in the nation. They ended up finishing seventeenth in the tournament. The second club team, Team Maroon, went 3-4 against their competition. Trinity's third team, Team Gray, went 5-1 in a separate division, only losing their first match.
"We played really well," said women's club tennis Captain Anne Simpson, senior. "This has probably been the best showing we have had at the Campus Championships Tournament ever. Each of the three teams we had out there put their heart into their playing, and it shows."
At the meet, the teams were grouped together into pools of four, and the top team from each pool moved on to the top bracket. The winner of the top bracket was allotted the opportunity to go to Nationals. Team O'Hara drew Texas A&M in their pool and had to immediately play against a top club team in the country. After losing to A&M and finishing second in their pool, the team was placed in the second bracket, which they went on to win.
"I was a little upset that we drew A&M so early, but I thought we did really well," said men's club tennis Captain Alex Navarro, senior. "Every year we have been improving and this has been our best showing ever at sectionals. It was just that one match that we lost. Other than that we went 6-1, so our team is really strong. I was proud of them."
The fact that Trinity club tennis was able to send three teams to the meet is a testament to the popularity of the club. In fact, the club has grown immensely over the past few years, thus allowing them to compete so strongly in tournaments such as the one this past weekend.
"These past few years we've been fielding three teams, which is really good because sometimes not even D-1 schools will field three teams," Navarro said. "We have a very high participation level."
"I am astonished with how far this team has come in the four years that I have been here," Simpson added. "We started out as just a few passionate players and now we have a large group of dedicated and talented players."
For now, the team is done competing in competitions, but it does have a charity tournament at home in April which will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
The team anticipates that their growth and development will continue and that Club Tennis will be a continual force to reckon with for years to come.
Trinity club tennis sent three teams to the meet. Trinity's first team, Team O'Hara, went 6-1 overall at the meet, only falling to Texas A&M, a top- three team in the nation. They ended up finishing seventeenth in the tournament. The second club team, Team Maroon, went 3-4 against their competition. Trinity's third team, Team Gray, went 5-1 in a separate division, only losing their first match.
"We played really well," said women's club tennis Captain Anne Simpson, senior. "This has probably been the best showing we have had at the Campus Championships Tournament ever. Each of the three teams we had out there put their heart into their playing, and it shows."
At the meet, the teams were grouped together into pools of four, and the top team from each pool moved on to the top bracket. The winner of the top bracket was allotted the opportunity to go to Nationals. Team O'Hara drew Texas A&M in their pool and had to immediately play against a top club team in the country. After losing to A&M and finishing second in their pool, the team was placed in the second bracket, which they went on to win.
"I was a little upset that we drew A&M so early, but I thought we did really well," said men's club tennis Captain Alex Navarro, senior. "Every year we have been improving and this has been our best showing ever at sectionals. It was just that one match that we lost. Other than that we went 6-1, so our team is really strong. I was proud of them."
The fact that Trinity club tennis was able to send three teams to the meet is a testament to the popularity of the club. In fact, the club has grown immensely over the past few years, thus allowing them to compete so strongly in tournaments such as the one this past weekend.
"These past few years we've been fielding three teams, which is really good because sometimes not even D-1 schools will field three teams," Navarro said. "We have a very high participation level."
"I am astonished with how far this team has come in the four years that I have been here," Simpson added. "We started out as just a few passionate players and now we have a large group of dedicated and talented players."
For now, the team is done competing in competitions, but it does have a charity tournament at home in April which will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
The team anticipates that their growth and development will continue and that Club Tennis will be a continual force to reckon with for years to come.
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