Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department
The Chargers aced their first tennis match of the season, winning 6-1 against Purdue Northwest on Feb. 6.
“We dominated in all aspects of the match,” junior Canela Luna said. “The team was really good about cheering each other on. No one gave up in any of their matches. Everyone really fought hard. We definitely took advantage of the home court.”
Senior Sarah Hackman played doubles with freshman Melanie Zampardo, who is playing with the team for the first time after being ineligible last semester.
“I think everyone showed up honestly to play and everybody was really motivated to win. I was really excited to play after not being eligible in the fall,” Zampardo said. “The team atmosphere was really good. Everyone was super positive and playing really well.”
Hackman said even though this was her first time playing doubles with Zampardo, she thought they were a good pair. They won their doubles match 6-3.
“I thought Sarah and I complimented each other,” Zampardo said. “If I messed up, she’d be right there to save me.”
Purdue Northwest was persistent, which made the match challenging, Zampardo said.
“We had to scramble to keep the ball in play and keep it in our favor,” she said.
If given the opportunity to change something from her performance on the court, Hackman said she would slow down, slice more, or try playing from other angles.
“I tried to change up my style of play too late in my singles match,” Hackman said. “I really didn’t do as much as I should’ve until the second set. I think I played pretty well overall but it just didn’t go in my favor. It only gave me more to work on.”
One of the best parts of the match, Luna said, was the team spirit, which she said has suffered in the past. At the end of the competition, for example, the team cheered on Ellie Chawner, who ended up winning her match. Luna said it stood out to her because the exact same thing happened last year.
“Everyone was cheering and making it feel like, ‘Yeah we’ve got this,’” Luna said. “It was great to witness that because in the past sometimes we’ve struggled with that team dynamic. It was really cool to see that this past weekend.”
The Chargers take on Grand Valley State University on Feb. 12 at 4:00, who beat Findlay University 6-1 last weekend.