North Carolina State University Athletics
TIM PEELER: Women's Tennis Finds Doubles Success
5/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. It took some experimenting in the fall and early spring, but NC State women’s tennis coach Hans Olsen found the doubles lineups he’s been looking for to make his young Wolfpack squad successful.
Improving doubles play was the biggest emphasis from last year, when Olsen’s team earned the school’s second ever NCAA Championship bid and advanced to the second round for the first time in school history. This year, the Wolfpack is ranked No. 39 in the nation, heading into today’s first-round NCAA match against No. 31 Auburn in Athens, Ga.
The difference is that last year’s team had a strong senior class with lots of experience, while this year’s team has five freshmen filling out the lineup. So Olsen chose to emphasize putting together three strong doubles teams to help make up for his team’s relative lack of experience.
“We have focused a lot on doubles this year,” said junior co-captain Julia Roach. “Last year, we lost a lot of doubles points and won a lot of singles matches. This year, our goal was to improve in the doubles, hopefully win the point and do well in the singles. We have a lot of confidence in our ability to do that.”
The Wolfpack has won the doubles point in 12 of its 13 wins on the season.
“We have been practicing a lot in the doubles this year, compared to last year,” said sophomore Alejandra Guerra. “We have been practicing a lot of different formations, a lot of different strategies every day. We have been focusing a little more on doubles and that carries over to matches. We are confident. We know what we want to do.”
Olsen found a pair of aces in Guerra and freshman Daria Petrovic, an on-court “Odd Couple” who have found that their differences click on the tennis court. Guerra is a fiery net player who brings an aggressive streak to the court. Petrovic is more reserved and prefers to play back on the baseline.
Since joining forces early this spring, they have combined to post a team-best 16-6 record in doubles competition. They have been spectacular lately, winning three consecutive matches over opponents ranked in the top 10 to close out the regular season, including an impressive win over North Carolina’s Sara Anundsen and Jenna Long, who were ranked No. 3 in the nation. Guerra and Petrovic posted an 8-3 record in ACC doubles play and received at-large bids into the NCAA Doubles Championship, played later this month in Athens, Ga.
“They have really improved on their communication,” Olsen said. “When they were first playing together, their communication wasn’t working. They weren’t clicking, in terms of how they were going to talk themselves through situations. The last few weeks, they are communicating well when they are up in the score, to run their opponents and finish the score. They are communicating well when they are down in the score, when they need to come back and do well.”
The Wolfpack’s No. 2 doubles tandem is veteran Roach and freshman Kate Green, two like-minded groundstroke players who have meshed since Green enrolled at NC State in January. They are 12-9 together, playing in all three doubles’ spots.
“They are both good movers,” Olsen said. “They are all over the court. They are both crafty movers at the net. The biggest thing that sticks out is their movement and energy on the court.”
At No.3 doubles is an all-freshman team of Berkeley Brock and Kristin Bleakley, who have posted a 5-3 record together.
“They bring an intensity to the game with their communication while the ball is in play,” Olsen said. “There is a lot of court chatter with each other and they have a lot of energy together.”
Olsen believes his team’s experience in last year’s NCAA Championship will carry over to this year, even though many of the faces have changed in his lineup. The confidence his team gained in winning a post-season match is still there.
“The girls who have been there before have the experience to share,” Olsen said. “We know what to do, how to prepare and how to get ourselves ready to play at a high level.
“This team has its own personality. The new players are blending with the experienced players and it has developed into this great personality of energy and enthusiasm that I have really enjoyed.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
