The University of Mount Union women’s tennis team had a winning record this fall season with three team wins and two team losses. The team won against Indiana University East, Westminster, and Penn State Behrend. A standout women’s tennis player for the Raiders is Amelia Francisco. Francisco is a senior from Canfield, Ohio. She won four out of five of her singles matches this fall. Francisco has received All-OAC Second Team honors the past two years; “My goal is to take things one match at a time and enjoy every moment of my last season. I think that by encouraging my teammates and the support I receive back will push me to keep improving and performing at my best,” said Francisco. The fall is just a warmup for the spring matches. The team performed well this fall and looks forward to improving to dominate the spring season. “Our focus is to continue to improve through every practice and to learn from the mistakes made in the previous matches. We have been working on constructing points more strategically to finish points quicker. Most importantly, we want to keep competing hard, play our best tennis, and build momentum for our main season in the spring,” stated Francisco. The team plays out of conference matches during the fall to prepare for OAC matches in the spring. 

There is a fine line between individual success and team success in tennis. In order to be successful as a team, you must perform well individually. Francisco reflected on the importance of individual and team success: “Individual success is definitely important for team success since we need both singles and doubles wins to secure matches. But I believe the team atmosphere has an even bigger impact. Through motivating each other, it helps everyone play their best and leads to team success.” There is more to team success than just winning. A successful team has great team morale, meaning that the team bonds together and cheers each other on no matter what. There are moments bigger than matches that bring teammates together. Francisco mentioned her favorite memory with the Purple Raider tennis team and how it brought the team closer together: “My favorite memory was our team trip to Hilton Head. Between all the matches, team bonding, and little adventures we shared, it really brought us closer together as a team.” Tennis is a mental game. The pace of a game can change in an instant, so it is important to keep a level head while in a match. “One motto that I live by is ‘one point at a time’ or ‘leave everything out on the court.’ Tennis is such a mental game where momentum can shift quickly, so I try to focus on giving my all with each shot regardless of what happened the point before,” said Francisco. 

With a positive team morale, the women’s tennis team is excited to work hard during the winter months to have a successful spring season. Be sure to make it out to a spring match to cheer on Francisco and her fellow Raider tennis teammates!