The Loyola tennis team is looking to bounce back from last season after being short a few players on the roster.
This season, Kyle Russell, head coach, and the team are looking to build on recruiting and building a brand. The coach isn’t looking for a “quick fix” for the team’s issues, he’s looking to make them better for seasons to come.
“The goal this season is to become a cohesive unit so that we are a successful team not just this year, but in three or four seasons. I like the kind of kids we’re also getting through recruiting. I overall just want us to grow and get better, and we have been,” Russell said.
The coach has been traveling all over the country recruiting and attracting students to Loyola for the past couple of months while going to tournaments and talking to athletes and coaches.
His past recruiting trail brought in six players. However, Russell feels confident about the opportunity they have to bring in more student athletes.
He said that he’s fortunate that the team is in New Orleans, which means it is easy to sell to perspective recruits because the city is so unique.
Recruits such as, Chris Fourmaux, accounting freshman, were drawn to the team because he felt it was a good fit. Being in Louisiana wasn’t just something he felt was important to his college decision, but also which school had a good tennis team.
“I looked at other colleges, but I came to Loyola simply because I felt it was the best school in Louisiana to play tennis for,” Formaux said.
Veteran players such as Alexa Mancuso, design junior, set up mental goals for themself and the teams and look to cash in on their preparation in the sweltering heat of their afternoon practices at the City Park tennis courts.
“I really want to make it to the conference championship this year. We weren’t able to accomplish that last year. We have three recruits this season since the numbers were down last year, and they all look good. I feel like as a team this season, we can do a lot better than what we’ve been accustomed to,” Mancuso said.
