Preview: Men’s and women’s tennis prepares for new season

Danny Marsh, a junior finance major, said that the tennis team has been preparing since the beginning of the fall. Photo by Larry Newman

The Chapman University men’s and women’s tennis teams have been preparing for their upcoming season, which starts Feb. 18 at Whittier College. 

Sophomore business administration major Mac Caldwell said that practices have been intense, with players conditioning by running on Mondays and Wednesdays as well as playing singles and doubles games against each other every day of the week.

Junior finance major Danny Marsh pointed out that the team has been practicing since the beginning of the school year even though the season begins in the spring.

“We had a tournament in the fall, so that got me into game mode,” Marsh said. “It changes day by day. There are some days where we focus more on conditioning, some days more on drilling (and) some (days) on match play. There’s a lot of variety to help us get ready for (the season).”

Aliyah Allyn, a senior business administration major, said that in the fall, the team can only practice two times a week for 50 minutes, but in the spring, the team ups their intensity to two-hour practices every day.

Goldie La, a sophomore pre-pharmacy major, said that every week looks different as the women’s team practices through singles and doubles matches.

Chapman men’s and women’s players talk about what they have been doing to prepare for the upcoming season. Photo courtesy of Mac Caldwell

“It might take awhile to adjust to another player’s playing style, but I think having matches against a variety of players on our team makes us better because we get more exposure to different playing styles and strategies,” La said.

As Allyn preps for the upcoming season, she looks forward to playing conference rivals and teams out of state.

“Our conference matches are the most intense because those are what count, so it’s always (gonna be a big) match against the Claremont teams, Redlands (and) Cal Lutheran, (who) is one of our big rivals,” Allyn said. “We never really got along well with (Cal Lutheran). We’re also looking forward to playing the east coast schools because it’s a very different dynamic than playing the west coast schools in our conference.”

Marsh said that as he goes through practices, he keeps in mind that what happens during these sessions will translate into real game situations.

“(I) want to work on being as fierce as possible so that (I’m) ready for anything (and) ready to survive and last in those long (matches) that (I’m) going to have in the season,” Marsh said. “Make the most out of every set (during practice because) there might be one shot that you see once every million shots, but it’s going to show up again in a match, and you’re just gonna have to know how to pull (the win) off.”

Caldwell and Marsh mentioned some players that they personally have seen made an improvement in their game, such as their teammates Andy Hess and Julien Sanseverino. Both Caldwell and Marsh expect a great season, with most of the team from last year returning to play again in the upcoming season. 

Allyn said that coming into her fourth year this season, she sees how much depth the team has with talent, and she also anticipates seeing starters on the team perform at a high level.

La looks forward to team activities like their Carb Fest, where they gather together at the assistant coach’s house to eat and enjoy each other’s company. La said she is up for the grind of the season.

“I’m looking forward to a lot of team bonding events because I love it when our teammates get together, and just overall the challenge of matches too (and) just putting ourselves out there on the court,” La said.