SE: K-State Tennis Starts Season Motivated by ‘Unfinished Business’ on Monday
Jan 20, 2020 | Tennis, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
There's a rubber bracelet around K-State tennis junior Anna Turco's left wrist — there's a few of them, actually. One, in particular, relates directly to the tennis court.
The thin, purple band reads: "Unfinished Business." It's the motto the team chose for this spring season, scheduled to start against Penn State at home on Monday at 11 a.m. at Body First Indoor Tennis Center.
"We chose this slogan, motto, because last year we had the opportunity to go to nationals and we missed it," Turco said. "It was close, but we could have done better."
In 2018, K-State made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years and knocked off Kentucky in the first round. Six current Wildcats — seniors Ines Mesquita and Meghan King, juniors Maria Linares, Margot Decker and Turco, and redshirt sophomore Rosanna Maffei — were on that team. That experience made the end of last season hard to swallow. The Wildcats finished 13-11, a win or two away from returning to the NCAA Tournament.
"We were (right) there but we didn't make it. That's our unfinished business," Turco said. "This year, we're trying to make it to nationals and reach our goals. I believe this year we can do it. I think we are a great team and I think we can finish our business."
Head coach Jordan Smith, in his second year leading the program and fifth overall, agreed. In part because of how his team began its business this season.
"The message that they kind of wanted to instill was 'Unfinished Business,'" Smith said. "Not really having regrets but knowing that we maybe didn't accomplish some of our goals last year. So, in order for us to do that, we had to have a little better mindset going into this spring."
The Wildcats started to develop this mindset in a different state, too.
Instead of being confined to its three-court indoor facility during its initial preparation for the spring season, they took a training trip to Orlando, Florida earlier this month. They spent about a week there, enjoying warm weather and several days at the USTA National Training Center that features 100 courts.
Turco described it as a "positive week," because of the amount of training the team got in and the atmosphere it created by training all together.
"It was really good, honestly," she said. "We had more team practices, and I think it's really good because there is so much more energy."
Mesquita agreed. She said being all together after a lengthy winter break while spread thousands of miles across the world — K-State's roster features student-athletes from seven different countries, including the U.S. — accelerated the process of reacclimating to the team-focused spring season.
"I think just the environment, being all together (helped) because after break we each were going our own way. We went home, some stayed (here)," Mesquita said. "Having a team environment helped us get ready for the season."
The Wildcats not only practiced all together, too. They also housed in the same condo for the week, amplifying that team atmosphere. They cooked, cleaned, lounged, all in one space.
"It was a better start than they usually have when you come out here and you go to practice and you go back to your respective homes," Smith said. "A week together is going to be the best thing we could have done to get the chemistry rolling from the fall season, when you're more individually based, to now in the spring when we're a team."
Additionally, the Wildcats enjoyed a visit to Disney World, a first for many of them. They also took part in a community service project that included packaging up school supplies for a local school district. To their surprise, the woman that facilitated that experience was a K-State fan.
"That was probably the best part of a lot of our trip," Smith said. "We moved fast. It was so great because everyone bought into it. I think we ended up packaging over 60 boxes in that 90 minutes, and she said some people do that in three hours. Everyone, from the coaches to the players, all bought into it and we just had a good system and we ran with it."
The Wildcats, with six upperclassmen, look to run with their new motto this season. Their unfinished business stems from missing the NCAA Tournament last season, but Mesquita said it's even bigger than that.
"I think we all did pretty well a couple of years ago, but I think we can do better. I think this year we can show that we're still there, but we're not pleased just with that," she said of making the NCAA Tournament. "So, we're here to prove it."
There's a rubber bracelet around K-State tennis junior Anna Turco's left wrist — there's a few of them, actually. One, in particular, relates directly to the tennis court.
The thin, purple band reads: "Unfinished Business." It's the motto the team chose for this spring season, scheduled to start against Penn State at home on Monday at 11 a.m. at Body First Indoor Tennis Center.
"We chose this slogan, motto, because last year we had the opportunity to go to nationals and we missed it," Turco said. "It was close, but we could have done better."
In 2018, K-State made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years and knocked off Kentucky in the first round. Six current Wildcats — seniors Ines Mesquita and Meghan King, juniors Maria Linares, Margot Decker and Turco, and redshirt sophomore Rosanna Maffei — were on that team. That experience made the end of last season hard to swallow. The Wildcats finished 13-11, a win or two away from returning to the NCAA Tournament.
"We were (right) there but we didn't make it. That's our unfinished business," Turco said. "This year, we're trying to make it to nationals and reach our goals. I believe this year we can do it. I think we are a great team and I think we can finish our business."
Head coach Jordan Smith, in his second year leading the program and fifth overall, agreed. In part because of how his team began its business this season.
"The message that they kind of wanted to instill was 'Unfinished Business,'" Smith said. "Not really having regrets but knowing that we maybe didn't accomplish some of our goals last year. So, in order for us to do that, we had to have a little better mindset going into this spring."
The Wildcats started to develop this mindset in a different state, too.
Instead of being confined to its three-court indoor facility during its initial preparation for the spring season, they took a training trip to Orlando, Florida earlier this month. They spent about a week there, enjoying warm weather and several days at the USTA National Training Center that features 100 courts.
Turco described it as a "positive week," because of the amount of training the team got in and the atmosphere it created by training all together.
"It was really good, honestly," she said. "We had more team practices, and I think it's really good because there is so much more energy."
Mesquita agreed. She said being all together after a lengthy winter break while spread thousands of miles across the world — K-State's roster features student-athletes from seven different countries, including the U.S. — accelerated the process of reacclimating to the team-focused spring season.
"I think just the environment, being all together (helped) because after break we each were going our own way. We went home, some stayed (here)," Mesquita said. "Having a team environment helped us get ready for the season."
The Wildcats not only practiced all together, too. They also housed in the same condo for the week, amplifying that team atmosphere. They cooked, cleaned, lounged, all in one space.
"It was a better start than they usually have when you come out here and you go to practice and you go back to your respective homes," Smith said. "A week together is going to be the best thing we could have done to get the chemistry rolling from the fall season, when you're more individually based, to now in the spring when we're a team."
Additionally, the Wildcats enjoyed a visit to Disney World, a first for many of them. They also took part in a community service project that included packaging up school supplies for a local school district. To their surprise, the woman that facilitated that experience was a K-State fan.
"That was probably the best part of a lot of our trip," Smith said. "We moved fast. It was so great because everyone bought into it. I think we ended up packaging over 60 boxes in that 90 minutes, and she said some people do that in three hours. Everyone, from the coaches to the players, all bought into it and we just had a good system and we ran with it."
The Wildcats, with six upperclassmen, look to run with their new motto this season. Their unfinished business stems from missing the NCAA Tournament last season, but Mesquita said it's even bigger than that.
"I think we all did pretty well a couple of years ago, but I think we can do better. I think this year we can show that we're still there, but we're not pleased just with that," she said of making the NCAA Tournament. "So, we're here to prove it."
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