Rice Women's Tennis 2010

By Christopher Pettijohn     1/21/10 6:00pm

At a university like Rice, it's simply a matter of time before one becomes wiser. Heading into the 2010 season stacked with players possessing plenty of experience, the women's tennis team believes the time has come for that acquired wisdom to pay off and to eliminate the disappointment created by several close losses last season. Same core, new edges

Followers of last year's women's tennis team will notice that the faces on this year's squad have not changed much. Though the women may look older, the team returns seven of the eight players of last year's team, losing only one senior, Emily Braid (Hanszen '09).

While the additions to the team may be minimal, freshmen Mecklin Ragan and Danny Trigo will immediately have the chance to make an impact. Ragan, a walk-on from Corpus Christi, has already impressed Head Coach Elizabeth Schmidt.

---

---

"She just brings a ton of spirit and energy and really has all of the tangibles that we've been looking for," Schmidt said.

Schmidt said she expects the energy Ragan puts into the matches and the spirit she brings to the team to boost team morale in close matches, and be a deciding factor in the team's fortunes.

Trigo, a recent arrival from Bolivia, arrived at Rice this semester. As is typical in Bolivia, Trigo graduated from high school in November, so she is just now getting acclimated to the collegiate experience. Trigo, who has had an impressive tennis career in her home country, holds the team's hopes of continued success.

With these two additions, the team is once again prepared to vie for a conference championship, despite getting ousted in the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament last season.

But the additions will only go as far as the returning players can take the team. Among those coming back, seniors Julie Chao and Rebecca Lin will be, as one may surmise, instrumental in leading the team. Junior Rebekka H?nle, who is ranked 74th in the nation in singles, is coming off a spring season with just one loss, and she is predicted to be a major factor in the team's success. In addition, the pairing of junior Jessica Jackson and sophomore Alex Rasch, ranked 44th in the country in doubles, will look to expand on the late successes they found last year.

The upper limit

Coming off a 13-12 season in which the team lost several close matches to schools like Southern Methodist University and the University of Tulsa, the team is eager to strike back this year.

"I think we really thought all of last year we should be a top-40 team," Lin said. "Looking at the trouble we're giving all these teams, we should be right up there."

Because of this trial - and those struggles - by fire, the players are entering this season more prepared than they were during the previous one, Schmidt said.

"The players have a year more of experience," he said. "Last year, we learned what we wanted to be, what the identity of the team is going to be."

The maturity of the team will be an important factor this season. Given more experience, the group understands how to approach matches better and what it takes to win those matches. Maturity will also be a deciding factor in the close matches this year, as the players will be more prepared to keep a level head during high-pressure situations.

And chances for winning are always helped out by camaraderie among teammates. As such, Schmidt introduced a new buddy system this year to help the two new players adjust to the team. The players were assigned older players who acted as mentors.

Ragan says she thinks the buddy system greatly helped her adjust to college.

"I love it," Ragan said. "It helped me feel included right away and gave me someone I could talk to about anything right from the start of school."

On the horizon

But as much as the team gets along, winning should help matters. The women may find victory a bit easier than last year, but they will still face a bevy of talented squads.

"We are going to be tested every week," Schmidt said, "We've got 21 matches and all 21 are going to test us."

According to Schmidt, the road challenges will help the team reach the conference championship. Being continually tested allows for players to smooth any flaws in their game, which reflects another major focus of Schmidt: to have players really improve upon the small things.

Winning conference championships and advancing to the NCAA Tournament are the main goals for Schmidt, but she understands that players cannot attain that level unless they have the minor problems worked out.

"[Our goal] on a day-to-day basis is to improve everyday and work on the little things," Schmidt said.

The team began the season in a resounding fashion, knocking off Texas A&M-Corpus Christi University 6-1 at home Wednesday. But the team's match tomorrow against No. 31 University of Texas, held in Austin, is the first big test for the team. This will give players and coaches an idea of where they stand for the coming season.

And it will also give them a chance to see just how much they learned from last year, and how wise they have become.

---