Introduction
Tennis star Monica Seles once said, “Tennis has to become everything to you if you’re going to make it to the top. You have to live it.” Although tennis has been around for many years, it has been a male dominated sport. However, women’s tennis has developed in a dynamic way, and is keeping pace with that of the men’s game (Krolak, 2013). Since it started as a women’s collegiate sport, it has continued to develop its popularity and success, which has been apparent at Trinity University (Tiger Athletics). In the 1960’s, the women’s tennis program at Trinity began to take off; the team won multiple championships and competed for national titles at a Division 1 level. As a result of their early achievements and determination, the program continued its success into the 1980’s at which time they were considered to be one of the top Division 1 teams in the country (Tiger Athletics).
How were they able to achieve such success? Just like champion Seles said, they lived the game and each woman on the team had a huge passion for the sport of tennis and winning. As a result of their successes, the history the women’s tennis program has developed over the years is substantial, and has played a key role in the growth of women’s collegiate tennis. More specifically, due to the success of key players at the time, the women’s team from 1981-1985 played a significant role in the women’s tennis program at Trinity, and was another stepping stone in maintaining the “champion” reputation that the women’s tennis team is still known for today.