After training all summer, the men’s and women’s tennis teams got off to a fast start this past weekend at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center.
Both teams competed in a two-day round robin tournament in Forest Park with Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville and Morehead State University.
“It was really dominating, I’m very proud of the team and these are good results to see for the first week of competition,” Coach John Zych said of the teams’ performances. He added, “Everyone really took initiative over the summer to prepare, and it’s obviously paying off now.”
Because tennis athletes must take it upon themselves to practice during the summer months, Zych was happy to see his team in such fine form after just two weeks of classes.
The cold front that swept over Forest Park this weekend was also a welcome change from the intense heat all summer. On a tennis court, temperatures consistently rise 10-15 degrees higher than the atmospheric temperature.
Over the weekend, the women recorded a 17-5 record overall, led by first-place finishes at the one and two singles spots by Stephanie Hollis and Mia Elmore, respectively. Brooke Urzendowski tied for third in the three singles round-robin to round out a singles sweep for the Billikens.
Not to be outdone, the men finished with a 16-9 overall record with four first-place finishes. Pat Kella won one of the singles draws and freshman Miguel Flores added victory in another.
“Miguel really worked hard to prepare this offseason and become NCAA eligible.” Zych said of his highly regarded freshman from Mexico City. “It’s almost like a pyramid and we only see the top of all the hard work that goes into it.”
After the solid start though, Zych still isn’t ready to make any predictions for the season.
“We’ll prepare well and do the best we can working to improve. If we do our best at working hard, results will follow,” he said.
Both teams seek to continue their dominance this Saturday at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, followed by matches at Bradley the following week.
