Northwestern College’s women’s tennis team returned to the court with a powerful first match on Friday, Feb. 6 in a sweep against Martin Luther College. The Raider women had an impressive fall season and are ready to have their hard work pay off once more.
In the fall, the team “went 5-1 (started 5-0), and really surprised some of the teams that they played against,” says head coach Maurie Tomke. “Our fall matches are great,” agreed sophomore Alloree Else, “we get a feel for the competition in the conference and bond as a team.” Though they have not competed in a few months, the team has been putting in the work behind the scenes. Though early morning practices would be no one’s first choice, these athletes have made the best out of their situation.
“I praise the ladies for their efforts to get in early every morning, so we can have the least amount of distractions as possible,” says Tomke.
The team’s performance on Friday was a promising sign of another successful season, but it will not be an easy road to meet their goals. The team lost on Saturday, February 7th to St. Katherine. They started off strong in the singles category but lost their stamina when it came to the doubles matches. “On Saturday, we lost 5–2. The other team was very good,” says sophomore Pietra Ferreira, “We still had two victories and another close match. I believe we are going to have a good season. With a smaller team, we have more opportunities to stay close and support each other during tough matches.”
With such a strong team, the group has a chance to achieve Tomke’s goal of playing in the GPAC Tournament Semi-Finals. “This has not been done since 2015,” shared Tomke. “2015 just happens to also be the year that the women’s team won the conference, which qualified them for the national tournament.”
The team is fairly young, but will be saying goodbye to beloved senior, Hannah Beckloff when she graduates in May. “All of my young ladies are irreplaceable, but she has been the glue that helps keep us a solid unit,” expressed Tomke. Though it is hard to lose leading athletes, “Each player has played central to the team’s success,” remarked Tomke. It will be exciting to follow the team’s progress as the season continues. The women’s next match is Saturday, Feb 21 against St. Olaf.
