What is the reason behind all of their success?
What is the reason behind the success that Trinity women’s tennis experienced in the seasons from 1981-1985? The style of their game was unbeatable, and a lot different than how tennis is played today. According to Lisa Westerngard, a doubles All-American in 1985 and key player on the women tennis team at this time suggests, “rackets back then allowed you to have more power, and the game was more about consistency and strategic placement” (Westerngard, 2016). Current head coach of the women’s tennis team and teammate of Westerngard, Gretchen Rush agreed by stating, “the equipment has changed and the game now a days is a lot faster” (Rush, 2016). However, aside from the major talent of many players, the team had established a sisterhood bond that was further developed each year they played together. The players on this team spent almost every moment with each other at practice, at matches, team traveling, and even off the court as best friends; Westerngard described the team environment as a “family atmosphere and like playing tennis with your closest friends” (Westerngard). Another Trinity star from South Africa that went 29-0 her freshman season, Elvyn Leonard, described the team as a “community and close nit” and said that it really helped her since she was far away from home (Leonard, 2016).
The majority of the players on this team were from all over the country, and evidence from The Trinitonian suggests, “All team members are or have been ranked in their respective countries” at the time when they committed to play tennis at Trinity (Female netters gunning for national championship, 1981). As a result, the women’s team was able to compete against some of the top teams in the nation and earn one the top ranks in Division 1 tennis at the time. Westerngard reminisced on her time as a Tiger and the big matches of her career. She said, “our big rival was UT, and every time we played them they drew the biggest crowd, and we loved beating them” (Westerngard, 2016). Westerngard also talked about how the team in 1981 beat Stanford in nationals, but eventually fell in the finals of the 1981 championship. However, according to Westerngard, “we were in the top 5 in the nation every year, and could compete very well with the big teams back in the day like SMU, USC, Stanford, UCLA, and A&M” (Westerngard, 2016). Rush was also able to talk about her positive experience as a Tiger. She suggested, “my best wins were when we beat Stanford. It would also be a huge upset when we did” (Rush).
Evidence from The Trinitonian demonstrates that the 1984 team accomplished the huge task of finishing the season number one in the nation (Women finish season first in the nation, 1984). Rush stated, “when I was on the team, Trinity was 2nd, 3rd, 1st. and 4th in the nation and we played against big name teams”(Rush, 2016). Leonard described the women’s tennis team as a “powerhouse” and suggested, “we made it to nationals and got deep into the draw both my freshman and sophomore year” (Leonard, 2016). She talked about how tennis was the most popular sport at Trinity during her time, and that the biggest match of her career was always playing USC in nationals, and how her favorite part of the matches were the fans because “whenever people came to watch at Trinity, teams were intimidated because our crowd was so big” (Leonard, 2016). Westerngard also agreed and said, “lots of outside fans would come to every match, and it turned into a tradition for us” (Westerngard, 2016). However, as their last tennis season came to a close in 1985, a Trinitonian article discusses how they fell in the semi finals of nationals, but Rush finished number one in the nation for doubles with partner Westerngard (Men and women netters vie for NCAA championships, 1985).