It has been 524 days since the Oswego State women’s tennis team has touched the court and now, they are gearing up to start the season.
In the fall of 2019, the team went 3-10 in match play and did not find the win column in any conference competitions. That being said, the Lakers’ goal this season is to play to the best of their ability, and head coach Shane Evans is optimistic his team can string together a couple of wins.
“I would obviously like to win more matches, but I would like to build more consistency on the team,” Evans said. “I think we have what it takes to get to where we need to go, but I just think we need more time [together]. COVID-19 has impacted our ability to get out there and build on those fundamentals and the team chemistry, but I am very hopeful.”
Evans has been the head coach of the team since 2015 and has always focused on the learning aspect of sports the most. While the team is hopeful for the upcoming season, the pandemic has impacted its ability to practice and build chemistry.
“We have done a lot of virtual meets and group chats because we cannot be on the court. What we do is talk about tennis in any way, shape or form that we can,” Evans said. “Whether it is watching videos or even digesting the stuff that is going on TV around the world. If we cannot play tennis, I want us to think about tennis, watch tennis and reflect on it.”
Though the current weather in Oswego makes it difficult to get out on the courts, when they do get the chance to get out on them, Evans wants to make the most of his time with the team to get it ready for the season.
“I am hoping to make things a lot easier for our players and bring some sense of normalcy,” Evans said. “I am hoping to get out there as soon as possible. We could get out there [now], but it is moreso the season at this point. I am hopeful for early April, we can actually get out there, but I am normally a little disappointed because of the snow.”
Jessica DuPont, a transfer sophomore from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, is a two-sport athlete at Oswego State playing both tennis and softball. DuPont is excited to join the team and feels very welcomed by the players to the point where she feels it will be easy to transition from virtual meetings to on-the-court practices.
“I was put into a group chat with all of the players before I got here and you can kind of get to know them over text,” DuPont said. “Everyone is really super nice, and it is [going to be] really easy to transition into practices because you already feel like you know everyone.”
The Catskill native is very intent on beginning her collegiate career at Oswego State on the right foot and wants to get out there to start building a winning culture.
“I want to win,” DuPont said. “I want to go out there and win as much as we can. Being able to go out and hit and keep working to better ourselves so when it comes to the matches, we win.”
Last season, Evans found his team struggled in the competitive setting and did not find much success. He intends to turn that around this season with the right mindset and a great work ethic, any improvement from his players is a win to him.
“I want to improve off of last season,” Evans said. “That does come with wins, obviously, so pretty much I just want to see any kind of improvement in all of our players. Even if we are close, I want to see competitive matches and want to see that intensity and passion in all of our players. To me, that is in and of itself, winning.”
William Rogers | The Oswegonian
