Head coach Stephen Perkins said there was no single adjustment that shifted the team’s success.
“It’s been steady improvement throughout the whole season,” Perkins said. “Things that the players have been working on back since January are starting to come together.”
According to Perkins, injuries have been an issue all season, but the team has recently been able to rise to the occasion.
“People have had to step up, and the team’s done a good job being resilient […] trying to [take it] one day at a time and focus on the process, improving and controlling the things we can,” Perkins said.
Assistant coach Jesse Kreger said the team has overcome and adjusted to problems created by injuries.
“Our players have battled through [injuries] and have shown a lot of willingness to learn and get better,” Kreger said. “We have grown as a team, and the last week of matches has shown what we’re capable of.”
Nicole Anderson (senior) said the turning point for the team was their win against UC Santa Cruz March 8.
“We ended up beating them 4–3 — it got us out of this rut,” Anderson said. “It provided more confidence for all the players [and proved] that anything can happen with good effort and energy.”
The team has found success in both singles and doubles in the past three matches. Multiple performances led to 6-0, 6-0 wins from second to sixth singles. In her last two matches, Greta Nagy (sophomore), in the singles one spot, landed herself in tight three-set tie breaks but secured the last point for Occidental in her wins.
Kreger said it is challenging to win any match 6-0, 6-0, and that the team’s improvement embodies these achievements.
“It’s easy to lose focus [or] drop a game, and our players have not only gotten better technically, but their mindset has grown as well,” Kreger said.
Anderson said Nagy’s three-set tie-break against Whittier was entertaining.
“It’s [thrilling] because you don’t know what’s going to happen, anything could change in a tiebreaker,” Anderson said. “All my teammates, alongside our opponents, were on the edge of our seats.”
Perkins said it’s difficult for Nagy to consistently perform in the number one singles spot.
“It’s challenging to be the last person on court with everyone watching [you] playing a close match,” Perkins said. “[Nagy] showed good perseverance, staying mentally focused in those matches against top opponents and pulling out wins.”
According to Nagy’s doubles partner Ellise Jay (sophomore), Nagy’s ability on the court stands out.
“She’s a strong doubles partner and player in general,” Jay said. “Her serve is terrifying — I’m so glad I’m not on the receiving end of that.”
Kreger said Jay’s improvement has not gone unnoticed.
“Ellise was playing six last year, now she’s jumped into the number two spot,” Kreger said. “That’s a huge jump, and she’s been playing some really good tennis.”
Jay said Occidental athletics resources have supported her recent wins.
“It’s positivity,” Jay said. “We have a mental coach on campus that we’ve started to meet with. She brings up positive talk or remembering positive things that people have told you, and bringing that onto the court and making sure you stay grounded.”
Kreger said the key to the latest victories in singles has been mental strength.
“Tennis is a difficult sport mentally because you get down on yourself,” Kreger said. “[Elise and Nicole] have made good progress in being able to fight through [mental difficulties] and come back and always believe in themselves and fight for every point.”
Perkins said every singles player’s contribution is essential to each match.
“Everyone’s important, top to bottom,” said Perkins. “Each point counts the same, whether it’s number six singles or number one singles; it all has the same level of importance in a dual match. People think of tennis as an individual sport, but [at] the college level [it] is a team sport, and everyone plays an important role in that.”
All doubles teams clinched wins in their last three matches, Perkins said, which has contributed to the team’s winning streak.
“We’ve worked [a lot this season] on doubles, doubles strategy, being aggressive and playing to win as opposed to not playing to lose,” Perkins said. “The teams are doing a better job of that, which has been a reason for the recent wins.”
Jay said the team needs to improve against high-level opponents to make the SCIAC playoffs.
“We have Claremont [April 18], they’re number one in our conference,” Jay said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s going to play out.”
Contact Liz Hermosillo at ehermosillo@oxy.edu
