Taylor women’s tennis claimed its first victory of the spring over IU Kokomo on March 17. The Trojans went 4-3 in a tight match with the Cougars.
The match came down to Taylor’s No. 4 singles freshman Anna Stone. Stone lost the first set 6-2 early on, but recovered to win the second set 6-2, forcing a tiebreaker match. Stone won the tiebreaker 10-7 to secure a crucial point for the Trojans.
“During that match, I didn't know that it came down to my match,” said Stone. “I didn't know that until Coach (Grubbs) came over and was like, ‘Hey, you just won us the match!’”
IU Kokomo was already short one player, automatically giving Taylor a one-point advantage. The No. 1 doubles team of Stone and sophomore Maddy Fuqua won their match in a tight contest of 7-5 to take a 2-1 lead heading into singles play.
In singles play, No. 3 freshman Evy Danemayer handled her opponent, winning in two sets of 6-1 and 6-2. No. 1 singles Fuqua and No. 2 singles sophomore Ellie Schaufelberger lost in close matches, putting the pressure on Stone to close out the match.
“I was down on the first set, and kind of had the mindset where I was gonna do the best I could,” Stone said. “I wasn't gonna give up, and I was gonna try to get to every ball, try to win and to have a positive attitude.”
Grubbs hopes this victory will help give the team a bit of momentum before they enter a gauntlet of conference play, with five teams in the Crossroads League either ranked or receiving votes.
First-year head coach Josh Grubbs spoke about the challenge of restarting a program that hasn’t played in six years.
“The girls are going to see a different level of competition,” Grubbs said. “I mean, again, these programs have been around for a while and recruiting, so this season, our goal is just to compete really hard. We're all learning, because everyone is new to college tennis.”
According to Grubbs, one of the biggest challenges the women’s tennis program has faced this year has mainly been the adjustment to college competition.
Danemayer spoke to the challenge of jumping to the collegiate level.
“College is more intense from the warm-ups to the practices,” Danemayer said. “Obviously, everyone around you is better, so you kind of have to meet their level. Everything's just a lot more, but I really like it. I think it kind of helps me because practice is also way more of a commitment.”
The Trojans have a young roster, with only two sophomores and five freshmen. The team has seen growth since the beginning of the season, something Grubbs has been proud of.
Grubbs said Fuqua has really improved since the fall season. She was playing No. 3 singles, but has now stepped up to No. 1 singles this spring.
A young roster has allowed the women to learn and adjust to college competition together, and to help develop a team culture for the years to come.
“It feels very honoring that I get to be a part of starting up the team,” said Stone. “Being able to help set the tone of how the team is going to be run and how Taylor tennis is going to be known.”
The Trojans began CL play on March 21 against Bethel, falling to the Pilots 7-0. They then hosted both Grace and Goshen, falling in both matches 7-0. They will hit the road for four of their six next matches, returning home on April 7 vs Spring Arbor and April 18, when they close out their regular season at home against Marion.
