The Pacer

Issue date: 3/27/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/ UTM Sports Information

The Skyhawk men and women's tennis teams both fell to Eastern Illinois University this past Saturday. But that isn't about to deter them.

"Our women's team has won the past two OVC championships," says tennis coach Dennis Taylor. "We've lost a lot of leaders, but we still have a lot of talent, and will probably finish in the top three teams. There is a chance that we can will the championship again this year, but it will take a lot of luck."

The men's team isn't much different. They haven't won a championship since the teams became Division I, but Taylor says this team is the strongest since he began coaching. "They usually finish in the top half, and I see no reason why we won't finish like that this year as well."

Taylor explains that the teams actually have two chances of winning. "There is the conference champion, which goes to the team who has the best overall record. The top six schools go on to the OVC championship, then the winner of that can advance to the NCAA Championship."

But tennis isn't just about, well, tennis.
"The players are students as well," says Taylor. "This is an institute of higher learning. The players need to add to the university. They don't just come here to play tennis. A high GPA is something that they all strive for."

And they achieve it. The men's team won the Commissioner's Honor Roll, meaning they had the most players on the honor roll in the OVC.

One thing that you might notice about the tennis team is that there are a lot of names on there that you might have a hard time pronouncing. The number of international students who play on the tennis teams is something that Taylor is proud of.

"These players are some of the best in the world," he says. "If you're not in the top percent in your country, you probably couldn't make the team. Many of these students have been practicing day and night since they were young."

Again, there is more to this than just tennis. "This really helps them learn. They must complete everything that the Americans do and are required to speak English around the team."

As for the few Americans on the team, they might find it a little bit more difficult. "It usually takes about a year for the Americans to get up to the top level," says Taylor.

One of those Americans is Mary Beth Gunn, a junior History/English major from Shelbyville.

Continued...

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