The men and women’s tennis teams have won their season openers against Tougaloo College, but winning is not their sole focus.
Both teams are recent additions to the athletic program. The women’s team played for the first time last year, while the men’s team began playing this semester.
Tennis head coach Zubin Engineer said his focus this semester is seeing how well both teams will compete with the rest of the conference.
“It’s about getting a feel for what we can do and finding a way we can get better,” Engineer said.
According to men’s team captain Brian Pena, Engineer is more concerned with team moral and spirit at this point, as opposed to nothing but victory.
“Winning is not the most important thing,” Pena said. “It’s about being positive in nature. Even if you lose, just get everything you can out of it.”
Engineer’s goal is for his athletes is to play without being nervous and without letting fear hold them back.
“It’s about centering yourself and not worrying about the point you just lost or the point you’re going to win,” said women’s team captain and psychology senior Claire Landry. “It’s about being in the present moment.”
As part of their training, both teams try to eliminate internal dialogue, and instead of focusing on the future, they stay in the present. The idea is that players have a certain identity with opponents based on past and future experiences.
“We don’t play the opponent,” Pena said. “We just play the ball because the ball will always be the ball.”
According to Pena, Engineer has a way of mixing spirituality with his tennis philosophy. Pena described his coach as the happiest man he’s ever met.
Landry said Engineer is one of the main reasons she decided to play tennis for Loyola after transferring from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.
“My coach was nothing like Zubin,” Landry said. “She just yelled all the time and didn’t have a good relationship with her players, so that’s a big reason why I came here.”
Both Pena and Landry are seniors, so this semester is the last time either of them will play tennis for Loyola.
“It’s kind of surreal that it’s my last year playing, but I feel blessed that tennis is a part of my life,” Landry said.
Pena’s goal is to get his team to the playoffs. They don’t have to win, but he said he would like to see his team qualify. “Considering that we’re all just a group of walk-ons, we have a great chance,” said Pena.
In a typical college match, nine games are played, with three doubles and six singles. In order for a team to be declared the winner, it has to win five of their nine matches.
“We play as a team, and an individual win doesn’t really mean anything. It has to be a collective win,” Pena said.
Both tennis teams will face off against William Carey University on Saturday, Feb. 19 at the UNO Tennis Center next to the Lakefront Arena.
Scott O’Brien can be reached at
