Tennis has a ball while aiming high

Doubles+pairing+Lucy+Carpenter+and+Fatima+Vasquez+play+against+Nicholls+State+University+at+City+Park+Tennis+Center+on+Jan.+31%2C+2023.+Carpenter+and+Vasquez+are+the+No.+10+ranked+doubles+pairing+in+the+International+Tennis+Associations+NAIA+preseason+polls.

Maria DiFelice

Doubles pairing Lucy Carpenter and Fatima Vasquez play against Nicholls State University at City Park Tennis Center on Jan. 31, 2023. Carpenter and Vasquez are the No. 10 ranked doubles pairing in the International Tennis Associations NAIA preseason polls.

Abigail Schmidt, Life and Times Editor

As Wolf Pack tennis heads into their spring season, head coach Matt Llewellyn said he hopes the team has special moments together on and off the courts.

“That’s the heart and soul of college tennis and I want our teams to experience more of those moments,” Llewellyn said. “I want our teams to experience moments they will remember for a lifetime.”

The team started their spring season with matches against Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Meridian Community College on Jan. 31 in Perkinston, Mississippi. From here, Llewellyn said the team hopes to have another historic season.

“We have a super solid team going into the season and our expectation is definitely to win the conference tournament,” said the women’s team’s No. 1 doubles player and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American Lucy Carpenter.

Carpenter said she is going into the season with high confidence and hopes to take down some of the teams she was not able to last season.

According to Carpenter, the team was able to get experience against players in the fall season that they will play again this spring.

“We were able to get a good idea of the competition and also get some match play in so we’re ready for competition right when we get back for the spring,” Carpenter said.

The fall season helped the team bond, Llewellyn said. With the women’s team having a historic season and the men’s team gaining confidence at their tournament at Dillard in October, Llewellyn said he looks forward to seeing them carry this momentum into the spring.

“We did great last season in terms of results and the team dynamic. I think this season we’ll have even more energy and support for each other both on and off the court during matches,” Carpenter said.

The team will be back in action on Feb. 7 against the University of New Orleans and on Feb. 11 against Xavier University of Louisiana.