As we inch closer to the long-awaited spring break, some teams are getting ready for their spring seasons. Two such teams are our men’s and women’s tennis teams. Both teams have high hopes for this season and are especially looking forward to the warmer weather.
Our Men’s tennis played in Cedar Rapids last weekend against Wartburg and Coe. Even though they fell short in both games, they still have high hopes for the upcoming season,
“to finish in the top of the conference,” head coach Monte Tilgner said.
This first competition of the year was a great way to prepare for the upcoming conference games. Two players, seniors Juani Mackrey and Peyton Scott came out with singles wins and brothers Jack and Noah Roisum won their doubles match
“Even though we didn’t get the results we expected on our first meet, we are training really hard and looking forward to what’s coming,” Juani Mackrey said.
The team is looking to learn from the meet this weekend and be able to move forward with the rest of the season. They have fun at practice and are just thankful to be able to play with each other since their season got cut short last year.
“It was fun, but we have room to improve and winslots of meets,” sophomore Brian Vanden Berg said.
Our Raider women took the court on Feb. 5 this year against Buena Vista. Sophomores Wynne VanderSall and Jessica Wilson earned wins for the Raiders both in the singles and together in the doubles. The women are just as excited for the upcoming season as the men. They are a fairly young team, with just one senior, three sophomores and four freshmen, giving them time to learn and grow in the sport.
It is their hope to finish top in the conference as well. Their last match gave them a lot of things to improve on, and they are ready for their next match, on Friday, Feb. 19, at Morningside.
In practice, they are trying to focus on improving their game, as well as having some fun out there on the court. Head Coach Jamie DeJong is working hard to make sure her players are ready for every meet.
Coach DeJong said, “If they play like they practice, good things should be in their future.” 
