Last year women's tennis did quite well, making it to the National Tournament. What were the takeaways from last year that can help you propel this team back to Nationals?
Yes, what an awesome season and we certainly hope to replicate that success this year. One of the most important lessons I learned was the way to allow the players to play loose and full of fun. I don't like putting pressure on a player because then they tend to tense up when they make a mistake instead of learning and putting it behind them. We rolled through some matches and fought hard in others, and when we got down to Nationals in Texas, we noticed it was another level of play. What I want is for players to enjoy themselves and that brings out their best play. The group coming in is relatively young, so we can learn how to allow ourselves to enjoy the journey instead of worrying about making a mistake.
What player do you have back from last year's team that can help you achieve team success? Last year you had a wonderful group of players who were goal-orientated and composed, often competitive in each match. Having a leader from last year likely can help you going forward with younger players coming in this year.
As I mentioned, we are young. As it will be I have only two returners from last year's team… but they are both very important to the squad this year. Elaina Hibbeler (Freshman of the Year) and Alivia Adams (Most Improved) are two incredible young ladies, who I will count on to lead our team this season. Since they know what it takes to get to Nationals, I want them to share that with our incoming players… not adding pressure but motivating them on how amazing the experience was.
What is the one goal you will imprint on your players this year? A slogan? A mantra? Each year a coach must look at the players he has and will often set a few goals to help calibrate the goals for a successful season. You are a wonderful communicator. What do you say to a team to keep the momentum going from last year?
As you know, I get the opportunity to teach classes here at MCC as well as coach these two amazing teams. One of the classes that I have taught for, ah hem, a quarter of a century, is Public Speaking. I consider it the most important class that anyone will ever take, and it builds confidence for future studies. The one thing that I stressed in that class, I don't measure one student against another. Everyone is at a different level, and we look to improve ourselves, not compare ourselves to others because we are all unique. I take the same approach with my players. Each one of these players is amazing, and I don't want them comparing what they do to others because it is added pressure they don't need. What I want them to do is enjoy themselves and improve a little bit each day. If they are having fun and playing better at the end of the season, the record and accomplishments will take care of themselves.
As for a mantra – I always stress "Your side of the net" … the area is 39' x 27' (36' for doubles) and that is all a player needs to concern themselves with. Not the wind, the weather, the crowd, the opponent… my side of the net is all that matters when I am playing. I can also only control two things – getting to the ball and hitting it back into the other court. Once a player can clear their mind and just focus on "their side of the net" their success rate increases exponentially.
Tennis is a sport that allows an individual to prosper without the help of teammates during a match. It is not a team sport in most instances, but it is. It is often a one-on-one match, but during practice, a player can learn to compete better when the competition is set at a higher level. What do you do to ensure a sport of individuals becomes a solid unit, a solid team as I have seen in the past?
Tennis is the rare sport of individualism and team. I do a drill on the first day of practice where I put everyone on the baseline and ask who is closest to the net. After a couple of moments of consideration, they realize, "We are all the same distance" … exactly! I want them to realize that each one of us is important to the overall success. Our individual success helps the team, no one is more important than the other. Winning a match is great for you, but it helps us all in the final score. It takes 5 points to win a match as a team, so no one can do it alone, but if everyone contributes, we can succeed.
In practice, we do some drills where we eliminate each other as we try to succeed. It is done to provide them the opportunity to "close out" a point, game, set, and match. This allows for friendly competition, but also what we need to do when playing a match.
I would love to know about a new player coming onto this "team" that you are excited about. An incoming freshman maybe that you can see growing into a national player, or even a second-year player that you have high hopes for this year. I ask this knowing a player can truly grow into the role of a leader. I have seen this year in and year out with your players.
I am very excited about all the players this year, for they are wonderful. I look for Elaina to continue her success of last season (winning the Conference and Regional Title at 2 singles) and be one that can compete at the 1 Singles position all season. Alivia was very successful at 6 singles, and I think she will build on that too, though I am not sure what position she plays this season. The incoming freshmen add depth and a variety of skills that will make us very competitive. I have seen several of them play in high school, so the foundation is certainly there to continue the success that this program has had in the past.
Are there any matches you have circled on your calendar you are truly excited about? You play the same teams every year, but I am guessing there is a team you're preparing for to get the season started off on the right foot or to help build team confidence.
When we got down to Nationals, Oakton, Elgin, Sauk Valley, and Moraine Valley joined us as qualifiers in different flights. Because of this development, the competition is deep. While not all those players return (most were sophomores), IVCC and Sauk are always tough. Lake County tends to be steep competition every year and this season Waubonsee is fielding a team for the first time in several years. The one team that I always like to measure ourselves against is Moraine Valley. They have a solid pipeline of players from local schools and several clubs that serve the tennis community. They also tend to dominate the athletics in the Skyway, so I like taking them out as we as a college look to assume the top spot in the conference.
Recently, are there any changes to tennis nationally that you notice? After coaching for a long time are there any trends in how players play compared to the past? And more directly, how much better are players now than players in the past? So often, players are focused more on skills training in other sports, club teams and alike are so popular – is that true with tennis as well allows them to be better players than maybe those of the past?
Oh, very insightful. As I watched Wimbledon a couple of weeks back and then the Olympics starting and the US Open around the corner, we do see tennis on the national stage. International players have dominated for the last few years on the men's side (Taylor Fritz is the highest USA player at 11) but Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula are #2 and #6 respectively. What is happening is that Pickleball is rising in popularity (it is an Olympic sport this time around) so we see more people moving in that direction.
Tennis is still popular in high schools, so that is allowing for kids to still play and learn. I hope kids will continue to play it, for it is something that you can play for a long time and enjoy the fun and comradery with your teammates. The game is evolving into a much more physical game. We see strength training, muscle building, and endurance along with cross-training (I recommend biking and basketball for consistent movement and change of direction). When I look at Serena Williams (one of my all-time favorite players) she shows that tennis players are athletes, not just matching polo shirts and shoes. So not only is it a great sport, but it also helps build good healthy habits in exercise and eating as well as competition.
