By: Jibril Howard
These are exciting times for the Goucher women’s tennis team. For the first time in six years, the team will compete in the Landmark Conference playoffs beginning with a match at Moravian College. The team’s run to the playoffs is neither unprecedented or unexpected in the eyes of the players. In an interview with the Quindecim, team captain and senior Meera Balasubramanian ’19 reflected on how the team has grown throughout her time at Goucher:
“It’s exhilarating! When I first started four years ago, I was the sixth player out of six. Our team mantra [four years ago] was “the little team that could!” Now our team is twice that size and I couldn’t be happier!”
In a separate Quindecim interview, sophomore Sara Healy ’21 was asked to compare the team’s performance to the previous year. She stated:
“I think we have done immensely better…I think we have grown as a team mentally and on [developing] our mental game which is a lot in tennis…and how long [we] can last through physical fitness and skill.”
It was clear in both interviews that both players enjoyed both the spirit of competition that comes from playing for a college sports team. It was also visible that Healy and Balasubramanian have developed deep ties and bonds with their team and teammates. Balasubramanian described the team culture:
“Our team culture is one that is collective rather than individual. We bond as a tennis team and [as a] family, but also have friends outside of our sport. I love being able to see the various roles my teammates take off the court…”
Healy agreed, stating:
“…The team we have has a lot of competitiveness because you have a lot of good players and we have a big team. But we still support each other, and we still work hard against each other to make each other better not just ourselves.”
The upcoming playoffs will be an exciting time for the women’s team. For Balasubramanian, who will soon graduate later this spring, the playoffs are one final send-off to the team. When asked how she felt about the upcoming game, Balasubramanian said:
“I’m super pumped! We were picked second to last in the conference draw so we’ve already defied expectations! I’m super excited for our team to give our all since this will be my last season at Goucher along with our other senior Ali [Tomasevich]. I’m super excited to give Moravian all we got this Wednesday!”
The Goucher Women’s Tennis team begin their playoff journey next Wednesday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m. at Moravian College. The team will move forward in its bright future undaunted by whatever obstacles and challenges await them.
