Tennis team opens with new head coach
January 30, 2015
For the third time in the last three years, the Loyola tennis team will be working under a new head coach.
Kyle Russell is taking over and has high expectations for the direction of the program.
“My goal is to raise the standard of the program to the standard of the institutions’ academics,” Russell said.
Meghan De Baroncelli, biology senior, believes in Russell and thinks he is what the team needs.
“Coach Russell is very encouraging and productive. I like him and believe he will be good for the team,” De Baroncelli said.
Russell is coaching at Loyola after coaching a semester at the College of Santa Fe and said that Loyola is the total package.
“I just looked for a place that had a strong academic foundation and a place that had potential to have a strong tennis program, and I believe that Loyola has both,” Russell said.
Tony Benjamin, business senior, believes that the tennis team can reach the goals that have been set in place by Russell and make his transition to a new school easier.
“We have a lot of talent on the team this year a lot of experienced players so everybody knows the ropes already. We should be better than we were last year,” Benjamin said.
Benjamin said he wants the team to be better at cohesiveness and bonding, which he takes upon himself as a senior on the team.
“My biggest challenge and goal is to keep the team as a family and keep us all together, helping to build the team morale. This is on me as a senior and not really Coach Russell’s job,” Benjamin said.
This season, which begins on Jan. 30 against Xavier University, Russell said he just wants to set the table for the future.
“My goal for this season is to change the culture of the tennis program,” Russell said.
