Always in Season: Pacific’s Tennis Teams
Unlike other collegiate sports, Pacific’s men's and women's tennis teams are always preparing for their next match!
Most collegiate sports are confined to playing one season a year: Fall, Winter, or Spring. Some teams’ pre-season and post-season will bleed into the next, but even this is a rarity. Because of this, many college athletes have a season of the year off, or at least reduce their training hours for part of the year. This enables them to pursue other goals, take personal time, recover mentally and physically, and find balance in both training and the scheduling of their calendar year. This time is well-deserved, as the season takes a toll like none other on athletes—especially when they are on the road—while also balancing a challenging academic load. However, there is a team at the University of the Pacific that does not fit this norm. Both the Pacific Tigers men’s and women’s tennis seem to always be in season, and there are key components of these programs that enable these athletes to continue seeking the fulfillment of their full athletic potential.
First, a look at the men’s schedule: returning to campus after the summer break, the Tigers first demonstrated their prowess at the Battle of the Bay in Berkeley and San Francisco, during back-to-back weekends, respectively. Rounding out the remainder of their Fall campaign, the Tiger men competed at UC Davis, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regionals, Super Regionals, and the ITA Fall National Championship. Finally, concluding the Fall in the only appropriate fashion, Pacific hosted the Pacific Invitational, finding both success and opportunities for growth. Turning the page to the Spring, the men have won five out of six of their competitions, thus far. With their match against Cal Poly postponed the Tigers look to carry their momentum from the Fall into the rest of their matches this Spring. With multiple home matches at the Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center, surely their steadfast efforts will propel them to victory.
On the women’s side, their schedule is not any less rigorous. Like the men, their campaign began at the San Francisco Battle of the Bay but then turned tournament style. The Tiger woman competed at not one, not two, but five tournaments throughout the Fall, each a building block toward a successful Spring. The team opened the season in roaring fashion, winning their contest against Youngstown State by a whopping 7-0. Dropping two recent competitions, the women most recently beat the University of California Davis, and look to regain their momentum and battle to improve their record throughout their conference stand. Similar to the men’s team, their schedule boasts a multitude of home contests, and also travel trips to Southern California; Manoa, Hawaii; and finally, Portland, Oregon to close conference competition out.
From the compilation of these schedules, both on the men’s and women’s side, time off seems limited. Tennis seems to always be in season. With this in mind, men’s Head Coach Robin Goodman says, “First, it's the health side of things. We make sure that the athletes are from a physical standpoint ready. Some guys will be able to train a little bit more than others. Other guys need a kind of rest to make sure they're fresh going into the matches. Also mentally, some players may be struggling a little bit with confidence, so we try and build their confidence in that week. Others, less so. Maybe some guys are too arrogant so we have to do challenging drills in practice to get them to focus hard again.”
Always being ready, both mentally and physically, requires a special kind of athlete. Speaking to the character of his athletes, Goodman added, “We have a bunch of players that really think, really want to explore how good they can be in the sport. Each day they come with a mentality to try and improve and develop as a tennis player and as a person. Personality is a huge part of this too. I think if you don't have a good personality and you're not a good person, it could be very difficult for you to thrive in this environment. If you're not enjoying yourself, it's also going to be very difficult for you to improve as well. So, we don't just focus on the tennis but we also look at who our athletes are as people and how we can grow that too.”
Although the Tennis teams’ schedules seem overwhelming in comparison to many other collegiate sports, Goodman notes the connection between opportunities to compete and the student-athlete experience, saying, “The athletes want to play tennis, they don't really want weekends off. They want to be playing every weekend. We do our scheduling based on giving us the best chance to make the NCAA tournament and win the conference at the end of the year. They're bought into that.” Despite always having a match on the schedule, Pacific’s Tennis teams are more worried about not playing enough than having rest days. Their commitment and dedication truly ring true and inspire the Tiger Spirit that Pacific is known for.
To fully immerse yourself in Pacific Athletics culture, catch a Tennis match this Spring!!