Hard work and dedication are two of the things the Fresno City College men’s and women’s tennis teams are focusing on this year.
The season officially begins in February, but the men and women on these teams are already geared up and eager for success.
Both teams spent the fall semester training hard to get ready for the spring. Steve Loop, coach of the men’s team, admits to having high expectations. “Our first goal is always to win the conference, which we’ve done I think maybe 25 times in the last 26 years or something,” said Loop.
“Our expectations are always high, so I think that success for us is getting to the state championship. That’s what we pretty much shoot for every year.”
The ITA Junior College rankings released Nov. 2011 prove good reading for the men’s team.
Nine players are ranked in the top 23 in Northern California and FCC is ranked the No.1 team.
One of the problems that Loop had to face in the past after successful campaigns, is finding replacements when state colleges come swooping in for players.
“We’re fortunate this year that we have a lot of returning sophomores, which really helps us, but it’s always a challenge,” he said.
So far Loop is thrilled by what he has seen from the players. “Our morale’s always good. Guys fight hard during practice,” said Loop.
“I tell the kids all the time, come here to practice to make someone else better, and their job is to make you better.”
Women’s coach Roni Monreal is working with a team of six this season and she shares Coach Loop’s high expectations and calls for hard work.
Monreal’s goals for her team is to see them put forth “maximum effort” and to practice “hard”. She hopes this will lead the team to conference.
Monreal has been working hard to improve her team over the fall and expects more than last year. “They’ve hit more; they’ve been doing more hitting over the summer. They hit more in the fall.
Conditioning has been better and they’ve been playing more tennis, so I expect them to be stronger than they were last year,” said Monreal.
Although she has a small team, Monreal believes anyone in the top four can qualify for state. One of those players, Madeline Loomis, is finding herself in a different role this season. “I’m captain this year, so definitely looking to be a leader and lead the team,” said Loomis. She is thankful for last season’s captain who taught her a lot about leadership.“She was my partner so I learned a lot from her,” said Loomis. Loomis’ expectations of winning the conference echo her coach’s. “I believe we can do it this year. It’s my last semester here, so I’m looking to do it big,” she said. But Loomis also recognizes such rewards don’t come easily. She sees the answer as working hard, focusing and never giving up.
Both the men and women’s teams open their campaigns at home against Bakersfield College on Thursday, Feb. 2.