With five seniors graduating last year, the Mingus girls tennis team sported an extremely young roster this season.
Of the nine Marauders players, seven were sophomores while the remaining were freshmen.
Despite such a youthful group, Mingus coach Andrea Meyer believes her team made tremendous
strides from start to finish this season.
Meyer reflected on the past season and what she learned from her players and herself.
How will you remember this season?
It has been the usual delight. The girls were easy to coach and every problem we encountered was ironed out. We worked very hard to improve their strokes and get down into basic groundstroke technique. I knew it was going to be a season where there was not many wins, but I also looked forward to taking a bunch of second year players under my wing. I enjoyed teaching them the basics and helping their development.
How much could the players develop between their second and third years?
In order for them to be at the level I would like, I have to have five or six girls participate in summer and fall tournaments. There is nothing that replaces game experience and I need those girls hitting three days a week.
How was practicing with the boys team?
I heard a lot of screaming and hilarious arguments about lines, but also a lot of positive feedback. They enjoyed the challenge of getting back and returning a very hard volley or receiving a serve from a guy. The velocity that they hit it with is something you do not often see from the girls’ game.
What were your favorite moments from this season?
One moment started out unhappilywhen it was a rainy day and Suzanna Ventura and I were attempting to help a player. We wanted her to snap her wrist more so we had her in the gym serving on her knees. That way, she would use her arm and the snap of the wrist to propel the ball in.I realized how mightily she wanted to carry out what we wanted her to do and develop her serve. She began crying and the tears were not the happy part, but the sense of accomplishment she had.
The other girls began attempting it as well because it looked fairly difficult. That moment built our unity as a team, in my opinion. It was also a lot of fun to watch Rhyme Uekusa hang in there on several tiebreaker matches and emerge victorious in a few. Rhyme just won it out of desire, same with our freshman Trinity Melgoza. She picked up our lone win in singles against Prescott and put on a solid performance that day. Trinity won because she tracked the ball with her eyes and just kept sending the ball back. Trinity made the other girl player her game and it was a big accomplishment for Trinity and the team. I made up a backpedaling drill that really accomplished the purpose of the girls hitting at their knees.There was also the team dinner at Olive Garden where the girls mugged for the camera and
bothered the waiter.
Did this team teach you anything about yourself?
You always hope for that as a coach and, yes, they did. It was a long stretch to hope for a lot of wins so it changed how I approached practice. I tried putting more emphasis on the fun because fun is the primary reason kids play sports. It got me to look at how much fun I was having and try to balance competition with fun.
How was the team’s end of season banquet?
We do a quick round robin tournament every season, and it accomplishes multiple things. One, parents who do not already play tennis come to understand how complex the sport is. They come to a finer appreciation of it when they step onto the court. It is also a great bonding experience for the girls and their families.After that, we have some food and chat amongst ourselves. I was looking for something a little more meaningful than just having a regular potluck. We have been doing this for about seven or eight years and it is always one of my favorite parts of the season. The fathers in particular like to talk smack about the other fathers, so you often hear this back-and-forth rivalry taking place.You hear parents and players supporting each other and making fun of each other, so it is always a great time. We also give out goofy prices during the event such as most balls hit over the fence or most absurd backhand.
The Marauders finished the season 3-11, good for eighth
