By Alexis Platt
Tennis program keeps improving in preparation for ODAC tournament
Men’s and Women’s Tennis are looking to gain momentum as the regular season comes to a close.
The men’s team currently holds a 10-3 overall record, and it is 7-1 in the conference. The women’s team hasn’t established itself quite as well as the men’s. The women’s team currently has a 4-6 overall record, and is 2-6 in the ODAC.
“In regards to results and performances the season has gone as expected,” Head Coach Darryl Cummings said.
The men’s team is putting itself in a position to compete for a conference championship, and the women’s team is trying for a chance to place in the top eight in the conference.
The women are working hard to have togetherness on the court and trying to better the tennis program here at VWC. They want to make it to the ODAC Tournament.
“We had a slow start, but starting to become more of a team is coming along pretty well,” junior Mia Proctor said.
“This year both the men’s and women’s team continue to mature and take ownership in their games along with becoming better teammates, which differs from previous years I’ve coached these two teams,” Cummings said.
The men’s tennis team goal is to compete for a conference championship. The team lives by the motto “Let’s take care of business so we can eat.”
The women’s goal is to go for a .500 record (meaning that they win the same number of games they lose), along with making the conference tournament.
So far this season, junior Graham Wilson, on the men’s side, and Proctor, on the women’s side, are two athletes who strongly impact their teams .
“These two athletes continuously compete and do a solid job of playing against the other school’s best player,” Cummings said.
“I actually don’t really care about having an impact on the team. I rather everyone focus on themselves. I only have two things to focus on: 1. playing for myself, and 2. playing like it’s my last match,” Proctor said.
“Having an important impact on this team is very important to me because playing in the number one position puts so much pressure on me to perform well. I value the pressure and try to do the best I can for the rest of my team,” Wilson said.
On the women’s side, Jackie Lee and Kristin Walden have been key players, while on the men’s side, Adam Rosemblaun has stepped up big-time as well.
“As an individual, my goals for this season is to play tennis, remain strong, and try and enjoy my last few years of it,” Proctor said.
“Our coaches Lindsey Lee and Chris Yost continue to look for ways to improve our players’ performances,” Cummings said. “The sport is played as a team; however, the match has six balls in the air, making it an individual sport structured as a team sport. With that being said…. Making a difference in one player’s game can make a difference in a team result. Lindsey has done a terrific job with individual workouts, while Chris has had an impact on counseling our new players.”
This past weekend, both the men and women won all of their matches against NCAA Division I team Maryland Eastern Shore. Saturday, the men won 9-0 and the women won 7-2 against the Lynchburg Hornets.
“This past weekend, we played very well and put up a great fight on the court. I wouldn’t change anything from our performance this past weekend, “ Proctor said.
