Written by Eli Dean/Photo by Edgar Cardiel
Harding women’s tennis started their season off strong, splitting two matches against DI opponents. After falling to McNeese State University during their first meet of the season 6-1 on Jan. 31, the Lady Bisons picked up their first win against a DI opponent in 8 years, defeating Missouri State University 4-3 on Feb. 2. After the loss on Friday, head coach David Redding said that he had a high level of confidence in the team moving forward, and liked his team’s effort given the limited amount of practices they’ve had so far.
“We’ve had to miss some practices because of the snow and the ice and the cold weather,” Redding said. “But I’m confident that we’ll be able to overcome the early season mistakes from the lack of practice.”
The weekend’s weather was perfect for practice, and the difference between Friday and Sunday was very much apparent. After sophomore Alexia Zarate Valdez scored the deciding point in a singles match that lasted just under two hours, the rest of the team surrounded Valdez and celebrated. For a smaller team than in years past, any individual win is a team win, and the chemistry is only getting stronger early on in the season. Senior Madison Stafford said that the team is bonding well.
“We’re definitely closer than last year, but we could get closer,” Stafford said. “We just started, but we have a really good team this year.”
Tennis can at times be a very individual sport, which makes it equally challenging mentally as it is physically. Sophomore Itza Rogel, who plays both singles and doubles for the Lady Bisons, said that there are plenty of differences between the two formats.
“With doubles, you can rely on your partner, but in singles, you rely just on your head,” Rogel said. “When you’re doing bad in doubles, you have your partner to say ‘it’s fine.’ But when you’re playing singles, it’s yourself in your head, which is a little bit harder but if you’re strong mentally, you can do it as well.”
It’s only the beginning, but the invigorated Lady Bisons team is looking like a team that can compete and isn’t afraid of any team that might come their way. Stafford said that as a senior, she’s looking to make the most of her last season.
“I just want to enjoy my last season,” Stafford said. “I’m going to stay as positive as I can and smile a lot.”
