BROOKE ATKINS
Social Media Manager
The Fredonia women’s tennis team is back on the court and ready to start their season with a bang.
After ending their last season 6-7 overall, the team has begun their preseason looking for a stronger finish.
The women ended their 2015 season in SUNYACs with losses against New Paltz and Cortland, but continue to be hopeful for this year.
Greg Catalano will be returning for a second year as head coach.
The roster this year will consist of 13 girls, five of which are seniors, as well as one junior, six sophomores and one freshman.
As a new season begins, one senior reflected on what her final year will look like on the court.
“It is bittersweet,” were Phoebe Langdon’s first words when asked how it feels for this to be her senior year.
The beginning of the end of something you love is tough, and Langdon is one of several Fredonia athletes who have been forced to acknowledge that.
“I have been on the team since my freshman year, and it has really shaped a lot of who I am today as person, so saying goodbye is going to be hard,” Langdon explains.
With a career that included an injury at the end of her freshman year, which required surgery, she is looking forward to retiring competitively and playing casually.
Langdon went on explain how much she will miss being on the team and playing the sport she loves every day. As a senior beginning your last season, you also begin to think of what you want to accomplish in your final season.
Being taught to lose with dignity and win with grace is something Langdon remembers every match and will continue to carry that into this year.
“This year, I want to savor every moment with my team and on the court and know that every match I played my hardest,” Langdon added.
Another senior on the team, Leanne Hofstead, also described this season as bittersweet.
“It seems like just yesterday my friend who was on the team was convincing me to talk to the coach and look to join my sophomore year,” Hofstead said.
“I am excited to reflect upon how far I have come since being at Fredonia,” she added.
The tennis team has had the opportunity to use the new indoor courts in Steele Hall and meet with a fitness trainer several times a week during winter and spring.
Hofstead also shared that the assistant coach has met with the team to share strategies to help improve their skills both individually and as a team.
“The team has been working hard during our first few practices doing drills, conditioning and challenge matches,” she said.
Luckily for Langdon and Hofstead, they have a whole season ahead of them.
The women’s season will open against D’Youville College on Sept. 3.