By Kelly Rickert
Staff Writer
This fall, the Pacers’ Tennis Team is looking forward to an exciting, challenging season. The team members each spent the summer preparing, knowing this would be a tough season. They had a strength/conditioning exercise program to use, which was given to them by Marywood’s Strength and Conditioning Coach Jeff Jones, as well as a study guide to help improve their strokes that they received from the team’s head coach, Peter Hubiak. Using these tools, the team spent the summer preparing for this season.
This fall, Coach Hubiak, and assistant coach, Jamie Valis, found that there is more depth to the team with thirteen girls making the cut, six of whom are freshmen. This means that there will be stronger players down the line, and there are enough players to have substitutes should they be needed.
The girls started off slowly this season, with a record of 1-5 thus far, as compared to last year’s record of 9-5 all season. When asked about the team’s goals for this season, Coach Hubiak mentioned that the goal, of course, is always to win a championship. But to do that they first have to make the playoffs. “So,” Coach Hubiak said, “the goal is to make the playoffs, and I think we have a good opportunity to do that.” Although the team’s record is 1-5 overall, they are 1 – 2 for matches within the conference, meaning that they have as good a chance as any to make this season’s playoffs.
It appears that the team is picking it up now, a few matches in, capturing their first victory of the season over Immaculata University on September 15. They will keep on working hard this fall to try and seize a spot in this year’s playoffs in mid-October.