The women’s tennis team has opened its conference schedule with two nail-biters, edging North Park and Illinois Wesleyan by identical 4-3 scores and sweeping Millikin in a score of 7-0. These early wins have injected confidence into a group determined to finish above .500 in league play for the first time since 2020–21.
Players point to both preparation and mentality as the foundation for their success. After arriving on campus in mid-August, the team spent two weeks training twice a day while also focusing on building relationships. That investment, junior Anna-Maria Huebel said, has paid dividends in competition.
“We’re not just focused on our skills tennis-wise, but also on team bonding,” Huebel said. “Tennis is a huge mental sport, and the support we give each other makes a big difference.”
The mental side of the game has shown a noticeable shift from last season. The team’s mindset changed from negative to positive and has since worked on improving their mental approach, with captains encouraging players to “play your best” regardless of the outcome. This fall, the coaching staff has put a strong emphasis on building confidence, pushing players to trust their skills and carry themselves with the belief that they can compete with anyone in the conference.
“Our coach goes into every match telling us we’re better, on paper, than these players, which I think helps,” junior Kassidy Anderson said. “The mindset of winning as a team has been huge for us.”
Beyond the mental side of tennis, chemistry and bonding are also parts of the foundation of consistent wins so far this season. With no seniors graduating last spring, nearly the entire roster returned, joined by two First-Years.
Instead of having to rebuild, the group has added to its foundation.
“We had that confidence that not only would our team be growing, but other teams would be losing [their seniors],” junior Grace Evers said. “It’s just trying to be consistent, get those shots just a bit further so we would edge out the other team.”
The challenge now becomes sustaining energy into the second half of the season. There are still more conference matches to come, and the team believes that they have the energy to push through and come out successful. That means not letting winnable matches slip away—a goal which has been on the team’s mind since last spring. With two early wins, the team feels like it’s on the right track.
The program hasn’t posted a winning record in CCIW play since 2020–21, but the 3-0 start has players optimistic that this could be the season to break through. With nearly the entire roster returning and a stronger sense of unity, the team feels better equipped to handle the close matches that slipped away in the past.
The early results have already shown that they can win under pressure. Both veterans and newcomers believe that the confidence will carry over into the rest of the conference slate. For a program that has been building toward consistency, this fall presents a chance not only to finish above .500, but also to prove that the foundation they’ve laid over the last few years is ready to pay off.
“Keeping the energy up and actually taking a win as a team rather than individually is going to be important,” Anderson said. “It would be really cool to see us finally pull something out, but also show that you’ve actually been training and putting in the work.”
