Losing is not fun. The Saint Louis University men and women tennis teams realized this simple statement after starting their seasons with five and six straight losses, respectively, before breaking into the win column. However, both squads have experienced a burst of success lately showing the Billikens just how fun the winning side of tennis is.

After kicking the season off with a dismal 0-6 record, the SLU women’s tennis team has turned up the tempo and put together a four-game winning streak which included big wins against rivals Creighton University and Western Illinois.

“We had a slow start. Things weren’t looking good,” said coach Derek Mills.

“But as of late, we have really come around. It showed in the tournament in Phoenix and we brought it back again against Creighton and Western Illinois,” Mills said.

This past weekend, the women’s team came home to finish their spring break with a 7-0 victory over Creighton on Friday and a 4-0 win over Western Illinois on Saturday.

The victory over Western Illinois evens the Billikens record at 6-6. The teams’ recent success has impressed Mills.

“It is not too bad of a turnaround. We are trying to build off these victories and hopefully find more success down the road. These victories give us a real boost of confidence,” Mills said.

While most SLU students were enjoying the rest and relaxation that comes with spring break, the women’s team was dominating the Phoenix Tournament. They took three- straight victories and gained even more confidence as the season faces its final stretch. The Bills mowed over Duquesne (7-1), San Francisco (6-1) and Montana State (7-0).

According to Mills, the victories over the break were a team effort but senior Ingrid Habony, junior Julie Siemers and sophomore Erin Kersten stepped up to lead the team in their success.

Habony, a native of Budapest, Hungary, did not drop a game over the break on her way to a perfect 6-0 record.

Siemers pulled her weight as the No. 2 player while Kersten, a walk-on, stepped up at the No. 3 position to win her match.

The Billikens have five regular season matches remaining. They face Eastern Illinois on Saturday, March 24.

The Billikens then play host to SIU-Carbondale on Friday, March 30, before playing a Saturday matchup with Indiana State at the Billiken Tennis Complex.

Mills remains optimistic in his outlook for the rest of the Billikens’ season.

“We only have five matches left. We are in the home stretch. We finished last in our conference last year, but we will do better this year. That is our main goal,” Mill said.

Unfortunately, the men’s tennis squad started its season just as cold as their female comrades losing their first five matches.

But, like the SLU women’s team, the Billikens have put together a late season run by winning four of their last five matches. This winning streak has improved SLU’s record to a respectable 4-6.

The youth of the men’s squad has left their freshmen jitters in their sweat suits and have recently stepped up to provide key wins for the Billikens.

Freshmen Lance Vodicka, Thomas Kwong and Taylor Curran have provided the boost needed to get the Billikens back on the winning track.

“We are completely carried by our three freshmen. To have freshmen fill our No. 1 and 2 spots just shows you we are developing in the right direction,” Mill said.

The three freshmen led their team to three straight victories in the Phoenix Tournament beating IUPUI, Colorado Christian and Montana State.

“It was a good experience to play some good teams. When we play teams that have the same number of scholarships, we do well.

“We were fortunate to play those types of teams in this tournament. We overpowered them,” Mills said.

The Billikens will look to improve their record against Northwest Missouri State this Friday at 2 p.m. at the Billiken Tennis Complex.

After heading to Charleston, Ill, for matches against Tennessee Tech and Eastern Illinois, the Bills will return home to face SIU-Carbondale next Wednesday and Evansville next Thursday.

“We are making improvements from last year. The men’s team only won three matches last year.

“We have four wins already this year. What we wanted to focus on was to get better, and we are doing that. That is very encouraging,” Mills said.