KNOXVILLE, Tn- The women's tennis team concluded their season with a second win against Maryville College 7-2. The Royals women's tennis program ended their season with a 12-10 record, the best in program history.
Ending their season on a 4 match win streak, the Royals were boosted to their impressive record by winning tight matches and capitalizing on opportunities throughout the season. Winning two matches by a score of 5-4, one 4-3, and two 5-2 wins. They won 55% of all individual matches and ended the year finishing 9th in the AAC conference.
The Royals were led in wins in both singles and doubles by the Freshman Paola Testa who recorded 15 singles wins and 11 doubles wins. The impressive freshman campaign is even more impressive considering that all of her doubles matches and all but two of her singles matches were recorded at the #1 positions. Finishing with the second and third most wins in singles was fellow freshmen Cait Bowling who registered 11 and sophomore Lauren Murray who was victorious in 9 matches. In doubles, it was Murray and senior Iris Loveday who tallied the second most wins with 9 each. In the tight deciding matches, it was Murray, Bowling, and Loveday who were able to come through to deliver the final point. Royals team members Iris Loveday, Katelyn Lee, Brooke, Hilemon, and Lauren Murray were named members of the AAC All-Academic Team.
The Royals lone senior, Iris Loveday, ended her career tied for first on the All-Time Doubles Wins list and tied for third on the All-Time Overall wins list. These impressive numbers do not begin to describe the contributions she was able to make in shaping the program. Serving as a lead recruiter for a number of current players on the roster, Iris led as a captain, chief videographer, and liaison with the Academic Support Center on campus. Iris was named to the AAC Champions of Character team for her hard work, determination, and consistent dependability.
Coach Hale said, "This team was a fun and special one to coach. Rarely do you have a team like this one that consistently plays better when things get tough and tight but they were able to do that. We had a great freshmen class that came in and had a great attitude and I believe that we have lots to build on. I think Lauren definitely grew as a player this year, winning a couple of really big matches against Ferrum and Brevard when things got tight and was an aggressive, impactful doubles player all year long. Iris battled through injuries all year which was frustrating, but she was able to be a steady force on the doubles court that acted as a coach in a lot of those early situations. The success this year would not have been possible without all of the hours of work from Coach Madi and Coach Olive as well as all of the support and training staff in the athletic department. Iris is going to be one of those players that we won't know how much we will miss her until we are in the midst of next season, but her contributions to the program can't be overstated. We have some exciting freshmen coming in next year and I'm looking to improve on this year's standings and start to make our way up the AAC!"
(credit to Kailyn Orahood Photography for this article's photo)