SE: Talented Core of Newcomers for K-State Tennis Find Immediate Chemistry
Jan 30, 2018 | Tennis, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Danielle Steinberg knew the talent was coming. What the fourth-year head coach for K-State women's tennis did not count on was how quickly the talent would gel.
K-State added five newcomers from four different countries to its roster this season, including four freshmen at the core of the No. 14-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to TennisRecruiting.net.
Still, there's an expected adjustment period for international recruits who grew up playing tennis for individual gain and accolades. It takes time to buy into a team format. For this group of Wildcats, however, it took almost no time at all.
"We got lucky with that. Actually, because there were so many freshmen, I think they clicked really well from the get-go. The returners welcomed everyone," Steinberg said, as K-State's returners included senior Carolina Costamagna and sophomore Ines Mesquita, while senior Carolina Lewis was added to the roster as a transfer. "Their mentality is similar and they laugh a lot. Most of them live with each other, so that helps. We definitely got lucky in that department. That makes a big difference in practice and in travel. It makes it a lot more enjoyable for everyone."
K-State freshman Margot Decker, from Blodelsheim, France, said there's really no plausible explanation as to why this group embraced each other so quickly, other than they just fit.
"We're just ourselves and it works. I don't know. It works. Sometimes, there are people where it doesn't fit, and we fit all together," Decker said. "We're all so close and there's a really good atmosphere. I don't feel any (unhealthy) competition between all of us, so we're a good team, a real team. It's good because in tennis, it's hard, it's individual. Sometimes there's a lot of competition but here we're a big team."
"All of the team, we have a good relationship all together," added Venezuelan freshman Maria Linares, with Italian freshmen Rosanna Maffei and Anna Turco rounding out group the newcomers. "It's rare because (growing up) you always go alone or go to other countries to play with another partner to play doubles. Now it's a little different because it's not only you. It's all of the team and K-State, and you have to push more, every point and every match. We have to do more because it's not only you. It's for K-State and the other girls, too. This is really important because we are all together."
This mindset, combined with the infusion of talent, Steinberg believes, could add up to one of K-State's best seasons in years.
In its first weekend of team play, K-State (1-1) swept UMKC, 7-0, and came up just short of knocking off Florida International, which finished last season ranked in the top 50 of the Oracle/ITA rankings, in a 4-3 loss on January 21. The Wildcats travel to California this week to face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, another team that finished last season in the top 50.
"If we stay healthy, on paper it's probably going to be the best year we've had in a while. The schedule is tough. We kind of anticipated having a good group so we bumped up the strength of our schedule," Steinberg said. "That's what we want. This group is ready. They fought hard (at FIU). Maybe we didn't play our best tennis, but the heart was there and the fight, and we showed no hesitation."
K-State has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship for three years in a row, but this group looks to bump the program to another level. Fortunately, the Wildcats already have one key component: Chemistry.
"We are all together to represent K-State, to go to the other universities and try to win," Linares said. "We want to put K-State on the first level."
Steinberg said there are plenty of other components to improve on to reach the next level, but the pieces are in place to get there.
"We've been excited since we got them on campus," she said. "Now it's just time to go out and have fun. It's a long season and we have to take it match by match and still get better. We have a lot to get better at, but if everyone stays healthy, which is a focus for us now, especially because there are so many freshmen that are not used to playing the volume of matches. If we do, we should be doing great things this year."
Danielle Steinberg knew the talent was coming. What the fourth-year head coach for K-State women's tennis did not count on was how quickly the talent would gel.
K-State added five newcomers from four different countries to its roster this season, including four freshmen at the core of the No. 14-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to TennisRecruiting.net.
Still, there's an expected adjustment period for international recruits who grew up playing tennis for individual gain and accolades. It takes time to buy into a team format. For this group of Wildcats, however, it took almost no time at all.
"We got lucky with that. Actually, because there were so many freshmen, I think they clicked really well from the get-go. The returners welcomed everyone," Steinberg said, as K-State's returners included senior Carolina Costamagna and sophomore Ines Mesquita, while senior Carolina Lewis was added to the roster as a transfer. "Their mentality is similar and they laugh a lot. Most of them live with each other, so that helps. We definitely got lucky in that department. That makes a big difference in practice and in travel. It makes it a lot more enjoyable for everyone."
K-State freshman Margot Decker, from Blodelsheim, France, said there's really no plausible explanation as to why this group embraced each other so quickly, other than they just fit.
"We're just ourselves and it works. I don't know. It works. Sometimes, there are people where it doesn't fit, and we fit all together," Decker said. "We're all so close and there's a really good atmosphere. I don't feel any (unhealthy) competition between all of us, so we're a good team, a real team. It's good because in tennis, it's hard, it's individual. Sometimes there's a lot of competition but here we're a big team."
"All of the team, we have a good relationship all together," added Venezuelan freshman Maria Linares, with Italian freshmen Rosanna Maffei and Anna Turco rounding out group the newcomers. "It's rare because (growing up) you always go alone or go to other countries to play with another partner to play doubles. Now it's a little different because it's not only you. It's all of the team and K-State, and you have to push more, every point and every match. We have to do more because it's not only you. It's for K-State and the other girls, too. This is really important because we are all together."
This mindset, combined with the infusion of talent, Steinberg believes, could add up to one of K-State's best seasons in years.
In its first weekend of team play, K-State (1-1) swept UMKC, 7-0, and came up just short of knocking off Florida International, which finished last season ranked in the top 50 of the Oracle/ITA rankings, in a 4-3 loss on January 21. The Wildcats travel to California this week to face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, another team that finished last season in the top 50.
"If we stay healthy, on paper it's probably going to be the best year we've had in a while. The schedule is tough. We kind of anticipated having a good group so we bumped up the strength of our schedule," Steinberg said. "That's what we want. This group is ready. They fought hard (at FIU). Maybe we didn't play our best tennis, but the heart was there and the fight, and we showed no hesitation."
K-State has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship for three years in a row, but this group looks to bump the program to another level. Fortunately, the Wildcats already have one key component: Chemistry.
"We are all together to represent K-State, to go to the other universities and try to win," Linares said. "We want to put K-State on the first level."
Steinberg said there are plenty of other components to improve on to reach the next level, but the pieces are in place to get there.
"We've been excited since we got them on campus," she said. "Now it's just time to go out and have fun. It's a long season and we have to take it match by match and still get better. We have a lot to get better at, but if everyone stays healthy, which is a focus for us now, especially because there are so many freshmen that are not used to playing the volume of matches. If we do, we should be doing great things this year."
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