The general consensus around the Saint Louis University tennis program is that this season will be one of superlatives.
“I think this is our best team ever,” Head Coach John Zych said.
Another superlative-what could be the best SLU tennis team ever will be under the tutelage of what Zych considers his best coaching staff ever.
And, fittingly, this team of “bests” will go up against what Zych considers the toughest schedule in program history, for both the men and women.Only a week into the season, the men and women of SLU tennis have displayed signs of drastic improvement against daunting competition.
Despite dropping each of their first two matches against heavy favorites in No. 14 Arkansas and No. 34 Tulsa, the women’s squad is optimistic about their chances to compete for the Atlantic 10 championship.
“They lost the match, but our goal is to improve. I feel like we did that,” Zych said.
He added that it only helps if his players have the right attitude about it. Senior Jo Becker shares her coaches’ optimism.
“I feel like every player is really motivated and wants to play good. If we can do well in school, we can totally focus on our matches,” Becker said.
Becker feels that these early season tests will pay off in the long run.
“[Arkansas and Tulsa] are ranked so it was really challenging, but all we can do is profit from this. It’s always good to lose against a good player instead of beating an easy player,” Becker said.
One difference between this year and last year is that now the tennis team can use the training facilities in Chaifetz Arena. Last year they were cramped and hindered by a need of space.
The tennis team also came back to school four days early this semester. Due to the team’s extra time on campus, Becker said she can already see the improvement even though the season is young.
According to Zych, the women just need to work on their aggressiveness in order to maximize their potential.
On the men’s side of the court, there is a similar aura of optimism. The season began with a winning effort against McKendree, 7-0. They followed that performance with a competitive loss at No. 13 Tulsa by the same score.
Though the defeat appears to be lopsided, the men, such as senior Adam Reeb, are not discouraged by the result.
“I was pleased overall with our performance after the first two matches,” Reeb said. “I thought we played well both matches. We were able to come out and beat McKendree pretty convincingly, and then we gave Tulsa, the No. 13 ranked team in the country, a good battle on their home courts.”
For the first time in program history, SLU has one individual and two doubles teams ranked in the region. Junior Kenny Nordheim is ranked at No. 24, while the top doubles team of Nordheim and junior James McArthur are No. 15. The second-tier doubles team of senior Sean McManus and junior P.J. Hendrie are also ranked at No. 15 in the region.
“I’m excited because this is the best team we’ve had at SLU in my 4-year career here, and we have a great chance to win the A-10 Championship. We have a solid group of players returning from last year’s team that finished 5th in conference, and we added some really exceptional players,” Reeb said.
The goal from day one has been to win the A-10. To do that, SLU will have to face tough competition against Xavier, a team which McManus says is the favorite.
“The fact that we get them at home this year will be the biggest match up of the year,” McManus said.
Without a doubt, the SLU tennis team will welcome that and the other challenges they will face this season.
“I’m a born optimist. That’s the only way to be. To get the most out of yourself, you have to have goals,” Zych said.
The men and women will each play host to visiting schools on Saturday. The men face Bradley at 4 p.m. and the women will follow them with a 6:15 match against Missouri.
