Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team is in the midst of a successful season. Thus far, the Cougars have dominated the competition as they currently boast a 11-3 record.
Head coach Mark Bohren credits their success to the team’s commitment to each other and their game plan.
“The guys are really buying into what we’re doing. There is big belief in team,” Bohren said. “Everyone is pulling in the same direction. Sometimes that is not always easy with an individual sport. The main thing is that they are really coming together as a group.”
Senior Pascal Engel has been one of the many players contributing to the team’s overall success. He credits their dominance to the team’s mental toughness and attitude.
“The mentality of the team has completely changed compared to last year,” Engel said. “We are willing to fight for each point and we have toughness on the team because each person brings character.”
The men’s team has enjoyed playing at home for the majority of the season so far. Out of the 12 matches played, nine of them were held at APU. Bohren noted how spring break has brought the competition to them and allowed them to play at home more often than not.
“Being in Southern California, everybody from the U.S. does their spring break out here, so we are very fortunate to be able to play a lot of matches at home,” Bohren said.
For the Cougars, home court is advantageous for several reasons.
“It helps, obviously,” Bohren said. “For academics and for travel, it is nice to play at home.”
However, not everyone feels the same way. For example, Engel does not see playing at home to be a significant advantage; he noted staying local allows athletes to study more and attend more classes, but he does not believe that it greatly impacts the team.
“To be honest, I think it is not a big advantage for us. Obviously, we know how to play on our court but most teams arrive a day earlier to get use to the courts,” Engel said. “In general, it’s okay but nothing special.”
The Cougars have enjoyed playing at home but they are not reliant on it. In the three away matches they have played, the men’s team is undefeated.
“The coaches did a great job to prepare us for the away games. We arrived in San Diego a day earlier so we can get used to the courts and we will do the same thing when we play in Arizona,” Engel said. “The coaching staff prepared us well.”
The men will play their next match against Hawaii Hilo at home on March 30.
Women’s Tennis
The women’s tennis team is in the middle of a solid season. They currently hold a 8-4 record for the year.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 14.4px; font: 9.0px ‘Big Caslon’}
Junior Jourdan Jefferson credited their struggles at the start of the season for the team’s recent success.
“I think the couple of losses we took in the beginning of the season has contributed to our success,” Jefferson said. “We have learned from those.”
Sophomore Kara Hinton thought the team’s closeness and willingness to support each other has been the key to their solid season.
“I think the fact that we are so close as a team helps produce the results that we want,” Hinton said. “We fight for each other, and we support each other on and off the court in any way, shape or form.”
Jefferson noted her coaches’ messages have also played important roles in the team’s successful season.
“The coaches have reminded us every day that we are getting better. I think it’s true. We have grown and improved every day,” Jefferson said.
Hinton noted the team’s dedication to each other and determination during practices as the factors to elevating their game.
“All of us girls are extremely dedicated. I have never been around an entire group of girls that just want to win so bad,” Hinton said. “We are never satisfied with being average or decent. We push ourselves 110% during practice because that will transfer over to our matches and give us the results we want.”
The women’s team has been stronger at home than away. Currently, they are 6-2 in matches on their own courts. Jefferson noted the familiarity of home courts are what give the team an advantage over visitors.
“Each girl practices on a certain court and that becomes their court,” Jefferson said.
The women will play their next match against Middlebury College on March 27 at APU’s Munson Bavougian Tennis Complex.