Club tennis prioritizes bonding, improves team’s success

“My big thing with club tennis was making a community,” said Lexie Elliott, junior and president of the SEU club tennis team. In fall of 2017, Elliott decided to bring back the club tennis team after it had died off. “I knew if I didn’t make friendships, no one was going to come.”

The team started off small in 2017 and although it’s grown, it still only has 12 members on the team. With a small number of players, they’ve been able to get to know everyone and learn about what’s going on in each person’s life.

Every Thursday, the team shares highs and lows from the week as a way to maintain their tight-knit friendship. “It’s through highs and lows and hearing how everyone is doing that we’re able to care for each other,” Jack Rice, sophomore and vice president, said.

“It’s fun to come out and ask about everyone’s day and see everyone be encouraging and supportive while playing and talking about things going on in our lives,” sophomore Emma Weber echoed.

Weber was nervous to join the team first semester of her freshman year because she didn’t know anyone on the team. After joining her second semester, she felt like she was a part of the team right away. She accredits those feelings to the team being welcoming and excited to have whoever wants to join.

The members view the team as a good niche because everyone comes from different majors and are involved in various organizations on campus. It’s through their love of tennis that they’ve gotten to know each other, but it’s through their different interests and involvements that they’ve been able to bond on deeper levels and learn more about each other.

“One of the teammates went on SBE and we all got to hear about SBE and her trip specifically,” Elliott said.

One thing junior Damanty Bakker said she likes about her teammates on the club tennis team compared to other clubs and organizations she’s been a part of is that she can joke around with them but can also talk about serious topics.

“At practices, we get to see each other’s fun sides and laugh a lot, while at matches, we tend to be more serious and focused,” Bakker said. “Getting to see both sides of who each person is allows us to grow our friendships even more.”

It wasn’t until spring 2018 that the team was able to go to tournaments and participate in matches. Rice noticed that tournaments and road trips together allowed for more bonding, because the team spent time together doing things outside of tennis, like listening to music in the car and going out to eat after.  

“I think you have to be willing to make new friends if you are going to join a club sport, let alone run one. You have to be willing to put yourself out there,” Elliott said.