Augie women’s tennis has so far won six games since Sept. 2021 including their last game against Central College on April 9. They have two more games to play before their spring season is done. The team has also welcomed a new coach this year.  

New coach David DeSimone recently coached at Concordia University for three years and left to begin coaching at Augustana in August. Junior tennis player Michaela Magee believes that DeSimone is a great addition to the team. 

“He is very organized, and I think he has a lot of good recruits for next year as well,” Magee said.

Similarly, first-year Kyliah Shirley said she has a positive outlook on the season so far. The support from her teammates makes the season fun and enjoyable. 

“It has been going good. I really like how the team is very supportive in how we can get along right up there after practice in how we bond,” Shirley said. 

Junior Lily Schoeck also shares similar thoughts with Magee and Shirley. She acknowledges the positives the new coach has brought into the team.

“It has been a good transition with a new coach and the team dynamic is really good this year. I feel like we are growing a lot as a team.,” Schoeck said. 

Schoeck also said she doesn’t feel any kind of pressure and thinks that expectations were not that high initially. She believes that they have been really open minded and having fun on the court while being e really proud of outcomes. 

“I think it has been good and we have been really proud of our success so far,” Schoeck said.  

Similarly, Shirley is also proud of the team so far. She also remembers the beginning of the season when everybody had to give a speech about how getting to practice on time and working hard will contribute towards success. 

 “We as a team tried to put all our effort into teamwork. We had to basically just do our part as a team member to win,” Shirley said.

Even though tennis is an individual sport, playing as a team plays a huge role in the game. According to Magee, supporting each other, showing up for practice on time, being disciplined and helping each other out are the elements of team-play in this individual sport.

“I would say a huge part of playing as a team is uplifting your teammates on court when it comes to cheering each other on. I feel like there is definitely a lot of accountability in the sense of encouraging your teammates and making sure you are showing up for practice, both physically and mentally,” Magee said.

With only two games to go for the current season, the team has come quite a long way. Throughout this journey, players have learned lots of new things, both individually as well as team wise. Schoeck has learned to stay positive and to not get down on herself, especially since tennis can be a very mental game at times.