Women’s Tennis Turns Things Around in 2013

Connor Daniels cdani404@uwsp.edu

Heading into the 2013 season, the Women’s Tennis team hadn’t experienced a lot of success in its past two seasons.

With an overall record of 4-30 over those two years, the Pointers were ready to make some changes. That is exactly what the team did with new head coach Deena Gordon.

“I really had no idea what to expect in terms of what the team has done in the past,” Gordon said.

After finishing the 2013 season with a 9-4 record, the Pointers made some improvements that allowed the team to compete in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The high point of the season was a six match winning streak that came in the middle of the season.

After having the streak snapped by the University of Wisconsin -Whitewater, the Pointers lost another match to UW-Eau Claire. However, the team finished the regular season by beating UW-Oshkosh.

In the WIAC Tournament, the Pointers came up one point short of entering the Spring tournament.

Led by senior Rachel Brown, the Pointers evolved into a much stronger team this year.

“We all became very good friends, and had a lot of fun. It was nice being able to go out there and be competitive. This year we played a lot of schools that were closer in level to us,” Brown said.

With a new head coach, players adapted to a new style of learning. Junior Kristen Finstad embraced the change and learned a lot from Gordon.

“Deena came into the season with a positive attitude and a goal in mind,” Finstad said. “She taught us to always be thinking about our shots rather than just hitting the ball back.”

As seniors Rachel Brown and Taylor Weuve have finished their final year. Juniors Molly Hendries and Kristen Finstad will have to be leaders.

Finstad is excited for the opportunity to lead a team that she has been on for three years now.

“I’m excited to step into a leadership role next season. We’ve come up with ideas over the last three years to make our senior season the best it can be,” Finstad said. “I also think one of the most important things is team cohesiveness, so I’m excited to plan some team bonding activities.”

Junior Molly Hendries is also prepared to take the leadership position on.

“Stepping into the leadership role next season will be quite different and very exciting. I hope to be a strong leader, set an example of being a good teammate, and make the season lots of fun while also working hard,” Hendries said.

Freshmen Katelyn Asfeld and Hayley Schlueter also made a big impact on the team.

“I could tell that those two are going to be top competitors for us,“ Brown said on Asfeld and Schlueter. “As a senior, I just tried to help them out as much as I could. I would play against them in practices to help make them stronger.”

With an impressive season in the books, all the Pointers have to do now is prepare for next season.