3 wtr.t:,ntn To an observer, a tennis match could have seemed like a simple game of hitting a ball back and forth, but for the members of the men's tennis team, it was their passion. The team ended the season with a seven game winning streak and a 16-4 record. Senior Henrique Ruiz remembered their successes and a few hardships along the way. "Last season, we practiced a lot Like we always do," Ruiz said. "We were practicing every day and playing constantly, and, because of that, the team became really united. Team spirit and positive reinforcement are key factors of our team's success." Ruiz maintained that encouragement and determination were big parts of helping others succeed in their matches. "Everyone is counting on you to win," Ruiz said. "I try telling everyone, since I'm an Men's Tennis upperclassman, that every point is important. Every match is crucial to the end result. You've got to finish it strong. You can end up being 4-4, and it can be down to your match to decide, so it's really important for everyone to take your match really seriously. It doesn't matter if you've already got eight games in a row [that] you've already won. You've got to finish it up strong." Professor of Kinesiology and Tennis Coach David Elliott thought the season ended optimistically, with the pros far outweighing the cons. "I believe we defeated every team on our schedule that we realistically could have won," Elliott said. "On the other hand, we won at least two matches that I can think of where the team may have been stronger than us but we were able to win in spite of their ability." Elliott also noted that he expected great things from his players, both on and off the court. "You've got to do right and be right mentally, and then the winning or losing will more or less take care of itself," Elliott said. "Our goal and philosophy is to do the best that we can do every time we go out to play or practice. Nothing less will be acceptable, to me or my players as well. The quality of kids we bring in are oriented toward being that way. They are going to give it their all." Sophomore Alex Ford, who was named GSC Freshman of the Year, believed that being a part of the tennis team was stress relieving and gave a sense of accomplishment. "It felt good because we beat some really good teams along the way," Ford said. "We played really well up until the very end; then, a lot of us got hurt. We didn't play our best at the end but it was still a very accomplishing season." Ashley Rosenbau'l'n
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