The Southeastern Louisiana women’s tennis team has gotten off to a strong start for this spring season.
Beating Jackson State’s Lady Tigers at 7-0 and Louisiana Tech at 4-2 puts them right where head coach Jason Hayes wants them. The past two years have been long and hard with their tennis courts under construction, but now the team has made themselves at home.
“Everything is good,” said Hayes. “We’ve had very positive practices and there is a lot of interaction between the girls. I think everyone is real focused on what we want to do.”
Five new players have been added to the roster this spring and Hayes is ready for the team to come together and take on rival teams like Nicholls State University.
“We’ve got a really strong team this year, and with the addition of the five new players, it makes us more competitive in the [conference],” Hayes said. “I would think we have an opportunity to finish in the top third, if we can stay healthy. Unfortunately Nicholls has beaten us the last two years, so I’m hoping that we’re going to be pretty fired up to play them, and put a stop to their win streak.”
With the renovation of the tennis courts now complete, the team can play matches and practice safely and comfortably.
“This year we are fortunate enough to have lights on the courts,” said Hayes. “We were homeless for two years, and we played in five different clubs in the area those two years. Last year it was almost like playing on the road, because it was brand new. But now, we’ve made ourselves at home. And everything with the facility is fantastic. It was a huge upgrade from what we had before.”
Plus, now that the new Kinesiology building has opened, Hayes’s office is closer so it makes getting to practice much easier. “Now, we have locker rooms; my office is here,” said Hayes. “Normally it was over in the Dugas Center. So I would have to drive over for practice.”
Now, Hayes encourages all students to come out for the matches since they will begin at six o’clock.
Senior and veteran tennis player Isabel Brito played those tough two years without a home court, so this season, her final season, means everything and her new teammates only help add to the team’s intensity.
“Winning and success are the first words that come to mind for this season,” Brito said, who is originally from Badajoz, Spain. “I plan to fight my heart out this season because I know this is the last one. I will never get to live this experience again. Since we are all international, this whole student athlete thing is very exciting. They are fresh and extremely talented, so once the newer girls get some experience, everything will go smoothly.”