Women’s tennis fired up for spring season

The Augustana women’s tennis team is off to a strong start in its 2017 spring season.

“Every team we’ve played that we know we could just dominate, we have,” senior Christine Olivo said. “And we’ve had four 9-0 wins so far.”

The team began the month with a close match against first-time opponet Drake, losing 3-4.

“I don’t know what our expectations were for the [match] just because they’re pretty good,” Olivo said. “I think we did well against them for never having played them before.”

The season has also had some surprises. Playing against Division III, Carleton College,  AU managed a 5-4 victory, a match Olivo said was together than she expected.

“Usually it’s good to know what they play like at first, but we had no idea [where their playing ability was at] so we were kind of shocked,” she said.

To come out of the weekend with three wins, head coach Marc Krutz said was exciting. He thinks the team is on the right track but wants to continue improving its doubles and staying focused on their singles play.

Next matches include The Vikings playing Southwest Baptist, one of their toughest competitors, before Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston.

Freshman Taylor Jackson hopes the team continues to consistently play at its highest level.

“[We need] to be at 100 percent every time because what each of us does affects the team —  just one point could be the difference between a win or a loss,” Jackson said.

As Taylor sets high expectations for her first season with the team, Olivo is hoping to make this spring season one she’s equally as proud of.

“I think we’re on track and we’re doing really great so far for having some new faces,” she said. “But we can always do better. I’m not playing my best yet, and it’s not even midway, so we still have a lot of room to grow.”