SE: K-State Tennis Focused on Solidifying Culture to Build on Last Season’s Run to NCAA Tournament
Jan 14, 2019 | Tennis, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
K-State women's tennis enters the 2019 spring season with high expectations, as it should. The Wildcats had the program's best season in 15 years last spring. They return all but one regular from last season's lineup. And they added three talented newcomers to the mix.
But K-State's expectations have little to do with wins, of which the Wildcats picked up 15 last year en route to the program's first NCAA Tournament bid and win since 2003. K-State has been more focused on solidifying a strong culture under first-year head coach Jordan Smith, who has been part of the program since 2015.
The culture, Smith said, boils down to three main keys: Communication, accountability and support. Buy into all three and the wins should follow.
"If we can support each other really well, we show that we're the better team on any given day and just want it more, then that's what is going to get us there," Smith said, as K-State opens the spring schedule at home against South Dakota on Saturday.
Sophomore Margot Decker, K-State's No. 1 in singles for most of last season, said the support aspect goes a long way. It's made easier, she added, when the team is genuinely close-knit like the Wildcats have become.
"We're very close. I think that's our best asset," she said. "Everyone wants to play for everyone. Everyone wants to do well, not only for me but for the other girls. We want to do well for everyone."
"The energy is really good," sophomore Maria Linares added of the team. "We're always there for each other, asking, 'How do you feel? Do you need something? If you want to practice one more time, we can do it.'"
The support, Linares continued, should be especially beneficial for K-State's three freshmen: Ioana Gheorghita, Maria Ponomareva and Karine-Marion Job. Linares, the 2018 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, said the first year can create a lot of internal pressure to perform well. Teammates can help relieve some of it.
"When you let yourself relax, you realize you have the team supporting you, you have the coaches that are always there for you, telling you what you have to do," she said, "you don't put too much pressure on yourself because it's always you and the team."
"That usually helps you get out of a hole more than anything else because it's hard to do it on your own all the time," Smith added. "Having the team lift you up and being able to lift someone else up, that's going to be really key for us."
There were several examples of this last season. In 2018, K-State went 6-2 in 4-3 decisions — duals that came down to the last singles match. This was highlighted by a come-from-behind win against Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"Cheering is very important in tennis, and to never give up, because last year when we played Kentucky, it was incredible. We were down, 3-2, and in the last (singles) matches we were down, and we won," Decker, who earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors last season, said. "So, just never give up."
This season, the Wildcats hope to erase the need for comeback efforts by winning more doubles points. K-State won 10 doubles points in 26 matches last season. The Wildcats went 10-0 in those matches and held a 5-11 record when they lost the doubles point.
"If we can start getting some more doubles points so we have a little more momentum going into singles, that's obviously going to help a lot, and it's something they know," Smith said. "It's hard to win four singles matches every single time. If we can do a little better with getting our energy going from the very beginning and then carrying it through the length of the match, that's going to be ideal for the girls going into this year."
K-State women's tennis enters the 2019 spring season with high expectations, as it should. The Wildcats had the program's best season in 15 years last spring. They return all but one regular from last season's lineup. And they added three talented newcomers to the mix.
But K-State's expectations have little to do with wins, of which the Wildcats picked up 15 last year en route to the program's first NCAA Tournament bid and win since 2003. K-State has been more focused on solidifying a strong culture under first-year head coach Jordan Smith, who has been part of the program since 2015.
The culture, Smith said, boils down to three main keys: Communication, accountability and support. Buy into all three and the wins should follow.
"If we can support each other really well, we show that we're the better team on any given day and just want it more, then that's what is going to get us there," Smith said, as K-State opens the spring schedule at home against South Dakota on Saturday.
Sophomore Margot Decker, K-State's No. 1 in singles for most of last season, said the support aspect goes a long way. It's made easier, she added, when the team is genuinely close-knit like the Wildcats have become.
"We're very close. I think that's our best asset," she said. "Everyone wants to play for everyone. Everyone wants to do well, not only for me but for the other girls. We want to do well for everyone."
"The energy is really good," sophomore Maria Linares added of the team. "We're always there for each other, asking, 'How do you feel? Do you need something? If you want to practice one more time, we can do it.'"
The support, Linares continued, should be especially beneficial for K-State's three freshmen: Ioana Gheorghita, Maria Ponomareva and Karine-Marion Job. Linares, the 2018 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, said the first year can create a lot of internal pressure to perform well. Teammates can help relieve some of it.
"When you let yourself relax, you realize you have the team supporting you, you have the coaches that are always there for you, telling you what you have to do," she said, "you don't put too much pressure on yourself because it's always you and the team."
"That usually helps you get out of a hole more than anything else because it's hard to do it on your own all the time," Smith added. "Having the team lift you up and being able to lift someone else up, that's going to be really key for us."
There were several examples of this last season. In 2018, K-State went 6-2 in 4-3 decisions — duals that came down to the last singles match. This was highlighted by a come-from-behind win against Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"Cheering is very important in tennis, and to never give up, because last year when we played Kentucky, it was incredible. We were down, 3-2, and in the last (singles) matches we were down, and we won," Decker, who earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors last season, said. "So, just never give up."
This season, the Wildcats hope to erase the need for comeback efforts by winning more doubles points. K-State won 10 doubles points in 26 matches last season. The Wildcats went 10-0 in those matches and held a 5-11 record when they lost the doubles point.
"If we can start getting some more doubles points so we have a little more momentum going into singles, that's obviously going to help a lot, and it's something they know," Smith said. "It's hard to win four singles matches every single time. If we can do a little better with getting our energy going from the very beginning and then carrying it through the length of the match, that's going to be ideal for the girls going into this year."
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