By: Tyler Push, Sports Editor
Director of tennis Shella Augspurger said that she is pleased with how the season has gone so far for Newman’s men’s and women’s teams. The men hold a record of 8-11 while the women are 12-10.
“The boys had a tough schedule at the beginning of the season, and the girls have had a tougher schedule at the end of the season, but both teams have improved significantly and have learned to trust the process,” she said.
Augspurger said that singles have been quite reliable throughout the season whereas finding solid doubles combinations took some time.
A big struggle for each team was getting the many new faces on board with the concept of being a team, Augspurger said. The Jets welcomed 12 new players this year, eight on the men’s side and four on the women’s.
Junior Lauren Esfeld said that she is happy with what the team was able to accomplish during the fall and is thankful for the friendships that were created.
“There is such a strong bond between the teams because most of the team is international, so it’s like our little family here at Newman while they are all away from their families,” she said.
Each team has one regular season matchup left on its schedule against Emporia State on April 22.
“Our focus has been to make today better than yesterday and keep focused on our goals both as a team and individually,” Augspurger said. “Pushing through the soreness and fatigue that comes with working hard day in and day out of our grueling season will help us get to the conference tournament.”
PHOTO: Courtesy photo, Newman Athletics
