Tennis preps for season’s second half

The UW-River Falls women’s tennis team continues to improve this season. They have their most important matches coming up Friday, Sept. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 1 at home, according to first year Coach Paul Mitchell.

The Falcons have 12 women on the roster this year, according to the UWRF website. Captain Jenny Paxton is a junior and this is her third year on the team. Paxton commented about the new group of talented freshmen this year and how they contribute to the team.

Mitchell also commented on the spots filled by freshmen and the pressure on them. He said if they can perform well with the pressure it would be a great help for the team. Out of the 12 women on the team, five of them are freshman with the rest returners.

The two home matches on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 are against UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point, respectively. Mitchell said the match against UW-Stevens Point will be good competition for the Falcons, as they’re matched up well against them. He said if the team doesn’t perform as well as they want, it’s going to be hard to rebound from that.

Paxton said she hopes for the team to do better overall in the WIAC than in the past. Last year the team ended up getting sixth out of nine in the standings. The team is currently ranked fifth in the standings, according to the official WIAC website.

Mitchell said he expects the team to continue to get better results as the season goes on and to do better than last year. When asked about how the team has done so far this season, Mitchell commented on the team’s attitude.

“We have improved upon last year, our record doesn’t reflect our aggressiveness,” said Mitchell.

The WIAC Championships take place in Madison, Wis., on Oct. 22 and 23. Mitchell said these matches are a big part of their season. He said if they can do well at this tournament, that will be a huge help to their ranking.

Paxton talked about being captain and her passion for the sport.

“I love being able to promote the sport in every way I can and running practices are fun. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season,” said Paxton.

The team has potential this season and a strong freshmen class. Mitchell and Paxton both look forward to improvements this season and finishing strong in the WIAC standings and being competitive in their toughest matches this season on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.