A few weeks into the fall semester, and athletics are off to a good start. Both the women’s tennis team and field hockey team have seen improvements in their season and are fighting hard in competition.
According to Charlie Ellis, head coach of the tennis team, the team is a close-knit group which has a high level of respect for each other and the teams they compete against. It’s been a good season and although they have had some difficulties with illnesses and the high demands of the classroom, the team is holding together very well.
“The girls are an extremely humble group,” said Ellis. “It’s enjoyable to work with them because they really do care about the team and their reputation deeply.”
Ellis emphasized the positive culture his team has created between every player, “These girls enjoy each other’s company regardless of ability. They push each other everyday and work to help each other instead of trying to compete within their team.”
As a coach, Ellis likes to observe the girls who are not typically in the front line up. Their goal is to push the players at the top in practice everyday. “They always do a great job pushing and fighting to reach the top,” said Ellis. He explained how those girls have to work hard because they always have to be ready to be called upon to play in a game.
As a team, “They don’t press and get outside of what they are capable of doing and they don’t embarrass themselves. They make sure the other team has to play and really fight for their points. Even if a team beats us, they have to spend a long time fighting for it,” said Ellis.
Women’s tennis is a new team, just started 4 years ago by their current coach. Ellis attributes their success to the girls’ commitment to improving their tennis game. As a coach, he focuses on the skill sets of his athletes and seeing individual and team improvement each week and year.
Ellis said, “We are more focused on measuring the physical success of tennis skills compared to winning or losing. The skills of our team are better this year for sure.”
The team looks forward to their home match against Alfred University on Tuesday, October 4th. Ellis said, “It’s always a pretty even competition and it’s nice to enjoy a conference match with a team right down the road.”
Also showing success, with a 4-2 record, the field hockey team is one to look out for this season. According to Elizabeth Modesto ‘18, “This year’s team is primarily upperclassmen who have been playing with each other for several years. We’ve also gained some solid key players.”
Captain Kelsie Ashley ‘17 said, “Our team is unique in that we have a larger roster than years past. Even with some new players, our previously young team has transitioned into a veteran squad.”
Modesto commended their strong season to the team’s connectivity on and off the field. This strength is witnessed in their successful passing patterns up the field and their constant communication.
One of the team’s main goals for their season is to push each other to their full potential and raise the overall standard of play. According to Ashley this is something they talk about regularly as a team.
Moving forward into a busy season, Ashley, Modesto, and their team look forward to more challenging conference games as well as continued growth in their learning and weakness on the field.
Field Hockey plays at home on October 8th and looks forward to redeeming themselves to Washington & Jefferson College after a tough loss last year.