Utah State women’s tennis completes best season in program history

The Utah State University women’s tennis team finished its best season in program history on Sunday at the Cal State Northridge Invite.

With a 23-14 run against players from Northridge and other Southern California schools, the Aggies finished the season with a total of 105 wins, shattering the previous record of 74 that was set two years ago. 

Head coach Sean McInerney said having a more intense atmosphere at practice helped the players adapt better during matches. 

“You play how you practice,” McInerney said. “We made every day competitive, not just the weekends when we’re competing. Every time we step on the court, we’ve been finding more ways to win instead of looking for reasons to lose.”

Senior Nini Guensler contributed to the record with nine wins in doubles play and seven wins in singles pay.

“Being more focused in practice and specifically working on my stroke has been a huge help to my game,” Guensler said. “It’s been a journey with a lot of ups and downs and I couldn’t be more proud of myself and my team.”

Sophomore Monika Van de Vondel said the increase in positivity is different from the team’s previous season, in which players looked for excuses whenever they lost a match.

“When we didn’t feel great we would lose the match and just say ‘It wasn’t our day,’” Van de Vondel said. “We’re more accountable for our actions this year and I think this has made us grow closer as a team. We win together and lose together.” 

McInerney said setting the record gives the team momentum as it prepares for the spring season that starts in two months.
“We’re going in the right direction,” McInerney said. “If we apply ourselves like we have been doing with hard work and accountability, we’ve given ourselves a great opportunity to beat anybody on our schedule.”