University of Houston Athletics
Making a Racquet - Vol. 11
3/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
(Editor's Note: "Making a Racquet" is written by senior women's tennis player Charlotte Phillips, who is interning with the Houston Athletics Communications department this semester. Throughout the season, Charlotte will provide a behind-the-scenes look into the Cougar tennis program, including practice stories, match recaps, interesting anecdotes and notes from the road. Today's entry looks back on Houston's massive comeback against Memphis, and the team's dominating victory over Tulane.)
VOLUME XI - MARCH 18, 2015
 | THE COMEBACK KIDS |
Exciting, courageous and thrilling are the three words to sum up Saturday's intense match against Memphis at the Houston Country Club. Although, if you ask the coaches and some of the spectators, I think they would choose nerve-wracking and anxious to be more suited! The Cougars pulled out a gutsy and fearless performance to come back from 0-3 and win the match 4-3.
We were already aware that going into Saturday's match against American Athletic Conference rivals Memphis was going to be a tough one. Having prepared accordingly the week ahead, re-creating opponent's strategies and having a 9 p.m. practice one night due to the weather, we were more than ready to take on the Tigers.
We headed to the Houston Country Club on Saturday morning and soon got started with our usual pre-match routines and warm up. The doubles point began, and it was Houston to get the first victory with a win from Mina and Angela on court three, but Memphis was quick to respond with a win on court one. It was now down to court two, and with a 5-4 lead and several match points in our favour, we were positive it was going to go our way. However, Memphis fought their way back into the match to force a tiebreak at 6-6, which the Tigers then won to gain the doubles point.
It was now time for singles, and after a stern speech from the coaches, we ready to use all of our fight and energy to get the four singles points. But things didn't start well for us, as we soon found ourselves 0-3 down as Memphis got the wins on court four and court one.
It wasn't long before we began our comeback in fearless fashion. Mina was the first to get the win, shortly followed by Elena to make the score 2-3. It was now down to myself and Tina to turn the match around for the Cougars, as we battled it out in the third sets. After a lead in the second set, I found myself with a match point against me in the third set tiebreak, and I'm sure there were a few grey hairs appearing from the spectators and possibly even Coach Danny! With some motivating cheering from the girls, I came back to win the tiebreak and level the score, 3-3.
We rushed over to Tina's court, just in time to see her win the third set and clinch the match for the Cougars! It was a huge comeback and a great day for us. Thanks again for those who came to watch and support. We love having people cheer us on - hope it was an exciting one to watch!
| DONT' STOP US NOW! |
Two days after our ferocious win over Memphis, we were ready to hit the road to take on Tulane. We had an early start on Monday ahead of the gruelling five-hour journey in the minivan to New Orleans, although sadly we didn't spot any gators in the swamps of Louisiana!
We had a short, light practice when we arrived, and then we headed to find our hotel the heart of New Orleans, although because we encountered a road closure, we soon found ourselves on Bourbon Street in a minivan, where we got some strange looks!
We rested up that night, ate some good food and downed a ton of water and Gatorade since it was going to be a very hot day, probably the hottest we had played in since the fall. But, from living in humid Houston, we were more than prepared for the heat!
It was a beautiful day on Tuesday, blues skies and scorching sun and a little breeze - the perfect conditions for any tennis player! The doubles point began, and we came out with a high degree of focus and aggression from the very first point. Mina and Angela quickly got the job done on court three, shortly followed by Maria and Tina who followed with a win on court two, to give us the 1-0 lead.
It wasn't long before the momentum carried over to singles, as Debbie got the first win, followed by Mina, and then Elena who clinched the match to earn the victory for the Cougars! With the score being 4-0, Angela then won her match to make it 5-0 but Tulane got their lone win on court four to make it 5-1 overall, and with Tina just beginning her third set, the match was stopped with a result.
We had a fun Tuesday night, and even saw the sights of New Orleans at night. It's always nice to do a bit of exploring and sightseeing - something we are often restricted from because of time. We ate some good food, tried out the famous Beignets in the French Quarter, and even got to experience a bit of Bourbon Street on St. Patrick's Day - but with everyone else head-to-toe in green, we didn't really fit in wearing our red UH tennis clothes!
We now have a very busy week ahead, as we take on Cincinnati on Thursday, East Carolina on Friday and Marshall on Sunday. Hope to see you there cheering us on, as we look to increase our eight-match winning streak!
Charlotte
Players Mentioned
