Women’s Tennis Team Shapes up for New Season

Spring 2017 Women’s Tennis season is finally here, and Chantel Wiggins, head coach of the team, is striving for yet another winning season.

The Lady Rams have been the Conference Champions seven times and won the Big 8 South Conference in 2016.  Wiggins said that the team’s schedule this season is competitive, with the team playing matches against Division I and II junior college teams all over the state.

Although mother nature may get in the way of some spring sports, the team seems ready to work through any obstacle.

“The weather has definitely affected our practices,” Wiggins said. “The players enjoy the rain because of how hard our coaching staff pushes them when it’s dry. It gives their bodies time to recover.”

Showing agility and flexibility out on the court comes along with a lot of practice and conditioning. “The team has been training hard on the courts, with match specific drills and training hard off court with tons of plyometric training and running,” Wiggins said.

Kristen Clore, a junior on the team, said the team has been preparing for the upcoming season by “practicing everyday, and doing conditioning so we can be in the best shape.”

Clore said she wants her team to go out have fun and win. “Our team is like a family because we are all so close, and we are always encouraging one another.”

Wiggins said she encourages her team to take things one match at at time, but to keep their eyes on the prize.

“I don’t feel like we have any obstacles. We create our own destiny and how we show up to play,” Wiggins said. “Every match will determine how deep we go into playoffs this year.”

Wiggins says she continues to keep the team mentally prepared to play at their highest abilities.”

“I let my players know that our goal is always first to win conference, then we take playoffs one match at a time,” she said. “In past years, we have upset some good teams and have been upset, so I know both sides.”

It won’t take long to find out what this team is made of as they open up the season.

“Fresno City College students need to come out to support us,” Clore said. “We need you guys.”  The women’s tennis schedule can be found on the FCC website and is only a click away.

“I would love to get more students out to watch our team play. Many don’t know much about tennis but it can be just as exciting as any other sport,” Wiggins said. “We have a history at FCC of winning championships. Come be a part of that by showing your FCC athletic pride.”