225 Tennis Serving Nationals Men’s and Women’s tennis teams qualify for Nationals for the first time together. In fall 2024, two men and one woman qualified for the ITA CUP, or the Division 2 Tennis National Championship, which marked the third year in a row for the men to qualify and the first year men and women qualified together in the history of the program. After the tournament, senior Cas de Ruiter was ranked 4th in the nation in Division 2 men’s doubles, and Ruiter and junior Adrian Solorzano were ranked 12th in the nation. Sophomore Alexia Zarate Valdez was ranked 14 in the nation for Division 2 singles. Head Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach David Redding gave all credit to the athletes and noted some of their talents. “Cas is 6’8” with effortless power yet uncanny touch,” Redding said. “Not only does he possess a strong serve and return of serve, he also has some of the smoothest groundstrokes I’ve ever seen. Adrian on the other hand, wins his points with craftiness and deception rather than sheer power. He can hit the ball wherever he pleases. He is a maestro on the court. Alexia possesses a tenacity at the baseline with her groundstrokes that ultimately wears her opponents down. When her confidence is high she is almost unstoppable.” With much success came much hard work, and as de Ruiter put it, most of the work was mental. “There are lots of good players out there so you shouldn’t underestimate anyone,” de Ruiter said. “The mental toughness that I have build in the last couple years in college definitely helps with that.” Men’s nationals took place in early October 2024 in Rome, Georgia. Solorzano and de Ruiter played doubles together and Zarate played singles. Zarate found important new lesson about patience and teamwork since playing at Harding. “The most important thing is patience,” Zarate said. “You just have to keep training and doing extra – be there when no one else is there. When I got [to Harding], it was a really different environment that I loved, like the girls cheering on [each other] and everyone being so nice. It really motivated me, and it changed my mindset.” After ten years of coaching Harding tennis, Redding retired in the spring of 2025. “I have learned that no matter where you come from and how different you initially may think you are from someone else, all of us are searching for the same things - inspired purpose, a deep connection and a sense of family,” Redding said. “I will still be involved in the program but hope to leave the coaching to someone with renewed energy and passion who can take the Bison tennis program to even higher levels. That’s my prayer. Go Bisons!” Written by Randi Tubbs ONE LOVE Junior Adrian Solorzano, senior Cas de Ruiter and sophomore Alexia Zarate play the sport they love at various matches. The three players qualified for nationals in fall 2024. Photos courtesy of Jeff Montgomery
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