Courtney Van Haaften | Sports Editor
The Buena Vista University (BVU) women’s tennis team currently sits at a record of 3-5 (2-5 IIAC) and is looking to keep improving as the season winds down.
They currently have two seniors, Elizabeth Heffernan and Haley Henrichs, who have shown great leadership so far this season.
“The leadership on this team has played a huge part in getting us to where we are at this point in the season. Being fortunate enough to return two seniors at the top of the lineup is always a plus because it instills a belief in the rest of the girls when they see their leaders competing with the best teams,” Head Coach Rick Halverson said.
Halverson accredits the team with working hard everyday and always supporting their teammates, although there is some room for improvement. The team’s goals for the season are to continue to improve and finish strong.
“We need to work on starting strong from the beginning and finishing our points. I think focusing on each point at a time and executing the things we learned in practice have contributed to the team’s success,” junior Samantha Kavan said.
One goal they already accomplished is qualifying for the team tournament that takes place during the spring season.
“We need to do a better job of maintaining our level of play. Everyone has improved, but we are still a bit too up and down. Once the girls learn to do a better job of sustaining that high level for a complete match, we are going to find more success against the better teams,” Halverson said.
One of the team’s biggest strengths is being consistent. All eight of the players have top-six abilities, and when they execute, they are very strong individually.
“We have come a long ways as a team since our first practice, but we still need to get better day in and day out. If we succeed at that, our match record is going to reflect it,” Halverson said.
The Beavers head to St. Peter, MN this weekend to take part in the ITA tournament.
Photos by Aaron Burns
