Women's Tennis 2013

I note that the women's tennis team is off to a good start this year with 6-1 wins over Eastern Washington and Idaho. Last year, they beat EW 5-2 and lost to Idaho 3-4, so it is looking like they may do better this year after an injury-plagued season last year.

They're a very young team: 2 seniors, 2 juniors, 2 sophomores, and 6 freshmen (1 of which is a red shirt frosh).

Not having watched any live high level tennis before, I was impressed with how fast the game is live - particularly doubles. Definitely worth watching. Looking at the player stats, it looks like senior Valeska Hoath is the Pilot career leader in singles and doubles wins - who knew? Well done!

I decided to take a trip to the LP Tennis Center yesterday to see some of the women's match against Gonzaga. It was a good decision, as the tennis was terrific with the women coming away with a well-earned 6-1 victory.

For those not familiar with the format, the competition starts with three doubles matches, each match consisting of a "pro" set (first team to 8 games, must win by 2 games) with a "tiebreak" at 8-all (tiebreak is first team to 7 points, must win by 2 points). From the doubles matches, the team that wins at least 2 of the 3 matches (or that wins all 3) earns one point in the team competition. After that, there are 6 singles matches, each worth a point. Thus in case of a 3-3 spit of the singles, the doubles competition is the tiebreaker.

When I arrived, they were part way through the doubles competition. The Pilots had won 1 match, but were down in the other two. (Three courts at LP, all with matches on them.) Both remaining matches were pitched battles, and the Pilots simply refused to lose, coming back to win both of them and to secure the doubles point.

I stayed through 5 of the 6 singles matches, and the matches all were well played and hard fought. The Pilots won 4 of the 5 I saw and clearly were going to win the last match, so they ended up with their 6-1 victory.

I know a heck of a lot more about tennis than I do about soccer, so I think I'm qualified to say that our players are very well coached. Tennis at this level is both physically and mentally demanding, and our players were very well conditioned and very tough mentally, noticeably tougher in the mental area than their Gonzaga counterparts. Coaches fill a big role in the conditioning and mental toughness area, and both in the obvious -- playing the big points well -- and more subtle -- keeping control of little details on the court -- areas, our ladies excelled. It's obvious that the coaches have a good program and the players have bought into it.

This was my first time out for a match. It won't be my last. If you're any kind of a tennis person, a trip to see them play will be well worth your time.

GO PILOTS!

Thanks for the rundown, UPSF. I usually attend about one match per year, but as I know less about tennis than I do about soccer, I generally just watch the ball go back and forth and applaud when it seems appropriate----it would definitly be good to attend a match with someone who can explain it; I hope to see you at an upcoming match.

DoubleDipper wrote:Thanks for the rundown, UPSF. I usually attend about one match per year, but as I know less about tennis than I do about soccer, I generally just watch the ball go back and forth and applaud when it seems appropriate----it would definitly be good to attend a match with someone who can explain it; I hope to see you at an upcoming match.

Another guy to look for at the matches is a skinny 60-something who seems to know all the players. He's Aaron Gross's dad and would be a great guy to stand next to and ask questions. He and I chatted quite a bit.

By the way, I also recommend not sitting in the second floor viewing area that is on the south side of the Tennis Center. Instead, enter on the north side and watch from there. You'll be standing right behind the curtain behind the court and the viewing is terrific. That's where the team is too, and that's where you'll find Aaron's dad or me if one of us is there.

It would be the equivalent of watching one of the soccer games from the player bench area. Pretty neat!

Unless the place is marked N S E W, I guess I'll have to bring my compass to get the best seats.

Thanks for the tips!

DoubleDipper wrote:Unless the place is marked N S E W, I guess I'll have to bring my compass to get the best seats.

Thanks for the tips!

I generally think of the Willamette River as being on the west of the campus. St. Johns on the north. Downtown Portland on the south. Amherst and the lesser colleges to the east.

Thanks, night and indoor games always get me turned around without the sun to reference.

When we were told the Pilot Club would be on the North Mezzanine for basketball I just had to wander around until I found it...

From UP Sports:

Women’s Tennis Signs WTA-Ranked Jelena Lazarevic to NLI

PORTLAND, Ore. --- University of Portland has signed Jelena Lazarevic (Lazarevac, Serbia) to a National Letter of Intent, women’s tennis head coach Susie Campbell-Gross announced on Tuesday. Lazarevic is the No. 4 ranked player in Serbia and is the first Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranked player to commit to the Pilots in program history. She is expected to provide an immediate boost to Portland’s lineup.

Link: http://portlandpilots.com/news/2013/5/14/WTEN_0514130058.aspx