On Friday Sept. 9 and Saturday Sept. 10, the men’s and women’s tennis teams traveled to Fort Smith, Arkansas for the University of Arkansas Fort Smith Invitational to open their 2016-2017 season. The men competed in the tournament while the women scrimmaged.
In the Fall season, tennis is based on an individual level. Members of the team play in tournament, whether they’re playing in a singles or doubles tournaments, and compete individually. In the Spring season, the team competes as a whole and can play two to three times a week.
Senior Arielle Butler has played tennis for Harding for four years.
“I’ve been playing pretty well; I definitely want the most out of my senior season, for sure,” Butler said. “But, we have a lot of talent this year, more so than in the past. We just have a deeper team and I have to compete every day at practice to have the opportunity to compete in tournaments.”
The team has a break this weekend and will compete in the Great American Conference (GAC) Individual Championship at Arkansas Tech University. For freshman Milou Dalmolen, this will be her first opportunity to compete for Harding.
Dalmolen was born in China and was adopted by a Dutch family. She has lived in the Netherlands her whole life and first came to the United States to attend Harding.
“I skyped with Coach Redding about four times starting in September of last year,” Dalmolen said. “Everything I pictured Harding to be has been different, but I love everything about this place. For my first season, I hope to become comfortable with the team.”
Senior Neto Cacace started his last season as a Harding athlete and is really looking forward to the upcoming season. According to Cacace, the team has really been pushed to focus mentally as they face tougher competition this season.
“Coach Redding has gotten the hang of how things work, and he has been pushing us harder and preparing us well,” Cacace said. “We have new freshmen coming in and they are great guys. Being on the tennis team has been such a blessing because I have grown so much since I’ve been here.”
The team will compete at the GAC Individual Championship conference Sept. 23 and 24 in Russelville, Arkansas. Following the conference, they will compete at regionals Sept. 30 through Oct. 2 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
