Priya Cooper / Assistant Sports Editor

     The women’s tennis team is climbing in the ranks after each match so far this season. The highest seed the team has ever reached in its history was also this season at spot No. 12 in the ITA rankings, but it has receded back to No. 21 in the meantime. 

     USD senior  Jordyn  McBride  talked about her emotions surrounding making history with this program. 

   “It feels so fun, because I’ve always loved my teammates and competing alongside my teammates because they’re my friends. But being best friends with your team and doing well in winning, it’s the best,” McBride shared.

   McBride also mentioned how she and her teammates plan to maintain this record going forward. 

    “We have an extremely  deep team. We practice insanely hard, and so I feel confident going into the season because of how much work we’re putting in, and level wise we’re a very stacked team. A lot of teams, they have maybe one or two great players, but from line one to six, we’re all solid players which makes us really tough to beat,” McBride said.

   Teams flourish for a lot  of different reasons. The tennis team shared how the positivity they share with one another can make a real difference, both on and off the court. 

  “We all have a lot of big personalities, and we all are very outgoing and extroverted and love to laugh and have a good time. And our main word that we carry with us is ‘vibrancy.’ So we all like to be very vibrant on the court and just have good energy and positivity,” McBride said. 

     The team’s chemistry on and off the court is one of the reasons they have been able to perform so well this season, McBride explained.       

     “My favorite team thing  about my team is the fact that we are all very accepting of each other… We all just respect and love one another. And it definitely correlates to how we’re able to thrive on court, because I definitely think chemistry off court is just as important,” McBride shared.

     Traditions and pre-game rituals are an important component of a lot of great teams, and the Toreros on the tennis team are  proud of some of the pre-match tactics they have adopted over time, which help bring a certain energy level to the game. 

  “Our headspace is extremely important to us, when we’re competing in matches. We do an affirmation right before we go out. It’s the same each time, I actually read it to the group of girls. We all close our eyes and focus on our breathing and words which consist of, ‘we can do it,’ ‘we’ve worked so hard for this,’ ‘we’re meant to be here’ and just kind of motion a motivational speech, grounding exercise” McBride said.

      USD senior Abigail  Desiatnikov shared her feelings on making team history, by reaching this ranking. 

     “It’s so cool to be a part of it, but specifically for Jordyn and I, because we came into [USD] together. It’s our last semester. It’s really cool to experience being in the top 25 every single year in college, but there’s something special about achieving this, knowing it’s my last one.”

  Desiatnikov also included her thoughts on the rest of the season.

   “I do feel confident about the upcoming season because everyone is at a similar elite level. In addition to being surrounded by such a high level consistently, I’ve seen every single person play better before and I think that speaks to [the fact/idea] that we haven’t hit our peak yet,” Desiatnikov remarked.

   The  women’s  tennis  team hopes to continue to rise, as the rest of the season plays out as its only barely begun. The team has another match at Pepperdine on Friday, April 19. Desiatnikov noted one of the reasons the team has been so successful was due to the bonds they have forged with one another. 

    “The atmosphere of my team is like a family. I think what’s so amazing about this team is everyone on match day can put anything to the side and has been able to not only compete, but compete for each other. For our family, there’s this underlying love and trust that’s a huge element of our team this year,” Desiatnikov said. 

  The team has gotten to the place it’s at today through their  dedication and commitment.   

Desiatnikov spoke about the spirit of the team  that  led them to this position.  

  “I would say that half of it is the amount of work that we’ve been putting in day in and day out and also being able to compete in practice. In regular practice, even when you’re competing for a spot, I feel like I’m hitting with people that want me to get better before they want to beat me and I feel like not every team can say that.” 

  The success of the team so far can also be attributed to the people behind the scenes. 

  “None of this would be possible without the coaches. They’re great coaches. But more importantly they’re great people. And I feel like as a player, you compete harder and better for when you want to win for the person rather than win for the coach,” Desiatnikov added. 

  After the match on Friday, the Toreros will play in the West Coast Conference Tournament to close out the season. The rankings throughout the season reflect the dedication of the women’s team. The rest of the matches will take the women’s tennis team and decide their final standing. 

The women’s team next match is at Pepperdine on Friday April 19. Photo courtesy of @usdwtennis/Instagram