The fall portion of the tennis season has come to a close. As the leaves begin to turn color, the team begins to set its focus on the spring portion of the season.
Sophomore Graham Beukelman played in the tournament, and said that participating was a good experience regardless of the results.
“The results weren’t the best, just because we’re a first year team and we’re still trying to build and get better, but definitely our future is bright, so all our guys on our team love to work hard and compete,” Beukelman said. “So overall, it was a very good experience.”
Tennis head coach Grubbs said this is roughly where he thought the team would be for their first year. He interacted with some other coaches who watched matches and were surprised that players of this quality had only finished their first season.
After the ITA tournament, Taylor lost their final game of the semester 1-6 to Anderson University.
“We had some really close matches,” Coach Grubbs said. “The score doesn’t look that close, but if you look at individual matches, they were all really close,”
Freshman Tyler Lane had an especially dominant game, beating Anderson Freshman Ezekiel Bergen 6-1, 6-4.
Lane had played against Bergen multiple times before coming to Taylor.
“We played in tournaments all throughout growing up playing tennis, so I already kinda knew what I was getting into going in,” Lane said. “So I already knew my game plan going in, and I knew that if I played my game and kept my cool, and, like, just relaxed and played my game, that I would be fine.”
The Trojans end the fall portion of the season with a 2-3 record, but not without hope. Beukelman said team culture is a large part of their success.
“Just trying to build off what we built already, hard work and practice, good attitudes and our team culture, I think, has been great.” Beukelman said. “Just trying to build off, add on to it.That’s kind of set a foundation for the team.”
Taylor hopes to use the offseason to continue to adjust and prepare against their opposition. They play their next game against Ball State on February 7, which will be their first game in the second half of the season.
The Taylor women’s tennis team wrapped up the inaugural fall campaign last week, a year filled with new memories, team bonding and personal growth.
With the fall season now in the rearview mirror, coaches and players had an opportunity to reflect on their performances at the ITA Regional Tournament.
“I feel pretty good about the results,” said sophomore Ellie Schaufelberger. “We're a new team.”
Schaufelberger, who won her first doubles match of the tournament, has enjoyed a successful autumn campaign, posting a 3-1 record in both singles and doubles competition.
Freshman Evy Danemayer echoed similar sentiments.
“It was fun, like my whole team was there. So it's cool to, like, support everyone.”
Throughout the tournament, the Trojans rallied together, lifting one another and celebrating their victories. Both players credited team chemistry for making the experience enjoyable, from the gym to the tournament court.
Danemayer fell in her first singles match of the day, but bounced back and won her second. She concluded the fall with a singles record of 2-2 and a doubles record of 3-1.
Looking ahead to the offseason, Danemayer said she hopes to grow in her mental strength and confidence, admitting that there’s always room for improvement.
“I felt like our girls did really well,” said Coach Grubbs. “They got to see what the level of competition is going to be like in our conference.”
The tennis team also left a great impression in their first season.
“A lot of coaches, you know, made the comment like, ‘Oh, I can't believe this is your first year,’” Grubbs said.
As they turn their attention to the spring season, the Trojans prepare for the start of conference play. Taylor opens its spring season at Campbellsville University on Mar. 6 before Crossroads League action begins on Mar. 21 at home against Bethel.
