Rebuilding a tennis team starts with understanding strengths, weaknesses, and finding the right mix of skills to elevate the entire squad, and that is what the Pella Girls’ tennis team is doing this year. The Dutch lost 5 of their top 6 singles players, but they don’t think that will stop them from reaching their goal: repeating as state champions.
Sydney Namminga and Claire Smock were juniors on last year’s state championship team. According to the girls, this is a memory they will never forget.
“Winning the state championship last year was such a surreal experience,” said Namminga. “It was incredible.”
The girls are beyond proud of themselves and their performance. However, Smock has something extra to be proud of. She was one of two partners in the championship-sealing doubles match with her partner and Pella alum, Emily Blom. Even though it was the most important game of her career, Smock wasn’t worried.
“During the final moments of the match, I felt peace. I think that many people would have assumed that I felt incredibly nervous, but I felt calm,” said Smock. “I had full faith in Emily, that we would get the job done for our team.”
Smock knew that she and Blom would win that game and, along with it, become state champions. But this year, Blom is gone, along with four other seniors who helped them win the championship. However, that fact doesn’t bother them. Namminga and Smock are ready to repeat as champions this year with a whole new roster and a whole new look.
“I really think that we can be just as capable of a team as we were last year,” said Smock. “Everybody thinks that with us losing 5 of the 6 varsity spots in the lineup, we will be brushed under the rug or that we are out of the running. However, we’ve been taught to rise to the occasion, and I believe we will.”
Namminga and Smock believe that their team can win it all again despite being overlooked, as they were preseason #1 last year and preseason #6 this year. A significant key to their success will be dependent on whether the seniors can step into new roles and lead this year’s team.
“As seniors, we have been working to form new relationships and cultivate the new environment on the team,” said Namminga. “Being the example of giving it our all while also having fun is a role I hope to pass on.”
Along with having a team with great leadership, it is also important to have a team with strong mental toughness. According to Coach David Bouska, this is something that he tries to instill into the ladies as well.
“I focus a lot on the mental side of playing,” said Bouska. “Errors happen a lot in tennis. It’s just the nature of the game, so I really try to instill how to persevere through mishaps and tough moments by finding a mental neutral, even if you might not be playing your best in certain points of competition.”
These aspects, leadership and mental toughness, are why the Dutch believe they can repeat again as state champions. Although the team looks completely different, which is usually a sign of a rebuild year, the Dutch and Bouska don’t see it that way.
“Typically, losing that much talent can be a sign of a rough year,” said Bouska. “But I’m really confident that this group can rise to the occasion and show that we are reloading, not rebuilding, this year.”
