GAME SET PACK: One T-shirt, One Motto, One Meaning

By: Lauren Barry and Agustina Arechavaleta

 

Lauren and Agustina are two of three seniors on this year's Wolfpack women's tennis team.

Throughout the year, Allison, Lauren, and Agustina will be posting weekly blogs about what

it is like to be a member of a Division I athletic team including personal insights on competition

and experiences shared amongst the team. The blog's title, Sisterhood, has an important meaning

to the team. Each player does not only consider themselves teammates but part of a sisterhood

where they will learn to share four years of their lives with other student-athletes from all around

the world who enjoy playing tennis and having the opportunity to be part of the Wolfpack.

The age old saying in tennis has been changed. No longer do we think of “Game. Set. Match” as a phrase

to identify the conclusion of a match -- we have personalized it to define who we are as the Pack.

As the theme for all our conference and ACC matches, we scream out the phrase, “Game. Set. PACK”

to signify a win for the Pack. When anyone hears this, they know that we have just won and can cheer and

clap in honor of the concluded match. Those that are playing similarly know that their teammate has just

won and they get a boost of energy and a drive to play hard and capture the win as well.

But this phrase is not just for the Pack players. As a way to unite the fans and the players, the team has

created a t-shirt of the team motto. In large white print on a red t-shirt, passerby’s can pick out a tennis

fan. Already there are about 200 t-shirts circulating the campus trying to promote the team and its motto,

and more are soon to follow.

Pack players now match the fans during the competition. Before each match, the 11 of us begin the warm

up wearing our red and white t-shirts and after a player finishes their match, they put the t-shirt back on to

blend with their off court teammates and fans.

“We are trying to build a strong fan base for the tennis program” Coach Olsen said. “And I feel that we

are on our way to doing just that.”

On the court, players can feel the energy building with the new motto. Daria stated, “It is exciting when

you get the crowd to chant together in unison. You see a sea of red and white and you know the crowd

is behind you. It is a feeling that brings us together -- one t-shirt, one motto, one meaning”.

North Carolina State University Athletics