Success in team sports often comes from veteran leadership and an experienced, battle-tested group of players – but do not tell that to Geneseo’s tennis team.
Despite having only three upperclassmen on a roster of 12 women, the Knights are 15-2, ranked No. 15 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Regional rankings and gearing up for the NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championships next month.
Geneseo most recently blanked Hunter College 9-0 on Sunday April 21 to rebound from a close 5-4 loss at New York University the previous day.
In the loss, the Violets won first and second doubles and the top three singles matches before the depth of Geneseo’s roster showed its strength in winning third doubles and fourth, fifth and sixth singles. Sophomore Zakiyyah Abdus-Salaam was the only double winner on the day for the Knights, winning her sixth singles match 6-1, 6-1 before teaming with sophomore Minxuan Yuan to take third doubles 8-2.
Against the Hawks of Hunter College, Geneseo got back on track with a dominating performance over a team that is also going to be in the NCAA Tournament. Abdus-Salaam and senior Sarah Shields did not drop a game in picking up their points, and the team as a whole only lost 17 games out of a total of 114 played.
All of the Knights’ success comes after graduating five seniors and losing seven total starters from last year’s team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“When they graduated there was a little bit of concern … you’re wondering how this team is going to do,” head coach Jim Chen said. “This team, this year, has actually surpassed last year’s team in their accomplishments … they may be young in age, but they’re seasoned.” Freshman Marylen Santos is a perfect example of the experience the new players brought to the team. Coming from an extremely successful high school tennis program, Santos said she knew that she would be in the running to get playing time, but exactly where on the roster she would fall was a mystery.
“I was actually surprised being first singles. I thought I would be not as high in the lineup,” Santos said. “The first match … I was extremely nervous, but I think that I’ve been able to handle it pretty well.”
As far as first-year jitters go, Santos said that the only pressure she feels is the pressure she puts on herself to help out the team.
“The team is extremely supportive of me. They don’t put that pressure on me at all. It’s mostly me inflicting [that pressure] on myself,” she said.
The Knights will finish their regular season on Saturday April 27 against host College of New Jersey.