Emily Leighton | Staff Writer

Jesse Brace is a junior tennis player here at Buena Vista University (BVU). Brace is an exercise science major from Montevideo, Minnesota.

This being Brace’s second season with a Beavers, Brace sees some differences from the previous year that might help the team grow.

“We have some young talent that has potential to grow into some solid players for our team. Last year we qualified for the team conference tournament and were bounced in the first round. This year I feel like we have the players and coaching to make it again, and do some damage while we’re there,” Brace said.

This is coach Brett Groen’s first year at BVU. Being a new coach can bring up a few challenges here and there but he seems to be getting a good feel for Brace.

“Jesse has already started to buy in to not having to hit a winner on each shot. A bit more patience from the baseline, will only help to improve his ability to win more points at the net. His serve can be a very useful weapon when used properly,” Groen said.

Groen loves Brace’s ability to play from any position on the court. With the spring season, Groen hopes to work on teaching him which shots to hit at what time.

“When he figures everything out, it will be a thing of beauty to watch. Jesse’s charisma for the sport and his ability to carry that with him everywhere is the biggest attribute he brings to the team. He may have an off game or two, but he will bounce back and be smiling two minutes later as if nothing ever happened,” Groen said.

Brace still sees an opportunity for growth in the next seasons to come. He not only is excited for his own person growth with knowledge from Groen, but is also focused on growing the team as a whole.

“This year our team is low on numbers, so we need to have a good year recruiting for our program to grow. We also need to go out on the court and hit a lot of tennis balls, gain match experience and then we’ll go from there,” Brace said.

Brace is looking forward to the rest of this season and wants to show other schools in the conference that BVU wants to play.

“This year is exciting because we have a new coach who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about tennis and our program. He really cares about us as individuals and players and is willing to do what he can to help us succeed on and off the court. Matches that I’m most excited for this season are against Coe and Luther because they have been the top two teams in the conference in recent years. It’s fun to compete against the best the IIAC has to offer and show them what we’ve got,” Brace said.

The Beaver tennis team will resume their season back up on February 13th at Midland University.

Photo by Charlie Webster