The Hillsdale College women’s tennis team hopes its first match of the spring semester will be a big hit. The home match against Purdue Northwest will take place on Sunday Feb. 6 at 1 p.m.
The Chargers have won three straight G-MAC Championships dating back to 2018, with the season in 2020 cut short due to COVID-19.
Junior Canela Luna said she thinks although the team has a good chance of winning against Purdue Northwest, she and her teammates still need to put their best foot forward.
“We’ve played them every year that I’ve been at Hillsdale,” Luna said. “We normally win, but it’s still a good match and good competition. You don’t want to be overly confident because they’re still a good team and we still have to be in the right mindset. We just have to put our whole heart out there and fight for every point.”
Head Coach Nikki Walbright said she’s excited for the team to get back in the swing of competing.
“I think I’m just looking forward to watching them play matches,” Walbright said. “We have a really tough schedule this season, and we’ve really been preparing for that. I’m just excited to see the girls back on the court.”
According to Walbright, competition is getting more challenging as the other teams become more skilled.
“The teams in our conference have improved and the teams in our region have improved,” Walbright said.
Each player has her own individual talents and strengths that she brings to the team, Walbright said.
“Our team is extremely competitive with each other,” Walbright said. “Everyone really is excelling at the level that they are and I’m excited to watch everybody.”
One player was unable to compete in the fall due to technical issues with her transfer to Hillsdale, but will be starting this semester, Luna said.
“She’s a really good player,” Luna said. “She didn’t get to play so we didn’t get to figure out the doubles teams. We probably will have to switch up a couple of times and figure out which combination works the best.”
Before games, Luna said, the players will get in the zone by doing ladders and listening to music together.
“My goal going into the match is to just be willing to work on things and stay out on the court for the longest time– even if things aren’t going my way, just try to figure out a way,” Luna said.
Senior Sophia Spinazze said the team’s goals for the season as a whole include winning conferences and qualifying for the NCAA championship. Although the spring semester is more intense than the fall, Sophia said, she and her teammates have had a serious mindset about their performance since they initially got on campus.
“We just expect that it comes down to how hard we work at every practice,” Spinazze said.
Spinazze said as a senior, she values the ways in which she mentors younger players on the team.
“College tennis is different than any tournaments or things that you’ve done before,” Spinazze said. “We show them how matches go and how we cheer for each other or how we act at practice.”
