University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
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Season in Review: Women’s Tennis Responds the Right Way in the 2017 Season
07.04.2017 | Women's Tennis
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – When looking back on the 2017 season for UNC Asheville women's tennis head coach Lise Gregory the one word that seems to describe the year the best is response.
"It was a little bit of an up and down season in some ways because I knew we were a good team, but we still played a couple of bad matches during the year," Gregory said. "The thing that I liked is how we responded to those bad matches."
A perfect example of that response can be seen in two matches in particular during the season against Gardner-Webb. Entering their regular-season showdown on Thursday, March 9, in Boiling Springs, N.C., UNC Asheville had won five straight matches.
The Bulldogs of Asheville had their five-match winning streak snapped that day in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss, but they responded in a big way against Gardner-Webb in the Big South Tournament quarterfinals with a 4-1 win over the Runnin' Bulldogs on Friday, April 21, at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
"If you look at the two worst matches we played all year, both times after we really came back and played some really good matches after that," Gregory said. "For example, the way we responded to our regular-season loss to Gardner-Webb, I was really pleased with the way when we played them again in the conference tournament we won and played a really good match against them. That sort of response to a negative situation, I think, was really good."
To Gregory, the way the Bulldogs were able to bounce back epitomizes the type of student-athletes UNC Asheville women's tennis has on its team.
"It says a lot about the type of young ladies and people we have on the team," Gregory said. "It really speaks to that."
The Bulldogs return a ton of talent to next year's team, and Gregory thinks "we'll be better next year" because her young talent has a better understanding of what it takes.
"I love my team, but there is that core group that is going to be juniors now that it has been really fun to have on the team," Gregory said. "It's the kind of group that you look and you know they're going to provide leadership and you know they are going to be good players. You know all of that. Even though we're young, we've got a good group."
Gregory also knows that no matter what the next few months are crucial for both the returners and the newcomers.
"They all have stuff that they have to do over the summer," Gregory said. "I like them all to play tournaments over the summer and to keep training. I don't expect them to train as hard as when they're here, but they have certain expectations over the break so when they come back their improvement has continued."
To learn more about UNC Asheville women's tennis, please visit uncabulldogs.com. You can also follow UNC Asheville women's tennis on Twitter at @UNCA_WTENNIS and on Instagram at @unca_womenstennis.
"It was a little bit of an up and down season in some ways because I knew we were a good team, but we still played a couple of bad matches during the year," Gregory said. "The thing that I liked is how we responded to those bad matches."
A perfect example of that response can be seen in two matches in particular during the season against Gardner-Webb. Entering their regular-season showdown on Thursday, March 9, in Boiling Springs, N.C., UNC Asheville had won five straight matches.
The Bulldogs of Asheville had their five-match winning streak snapped that day in a heartbreaking 4-3 loss, but they responded in a big way against Gardner-Webb in the Big South Tournament quarterfinals with a 4-1 win over the Runnin' Bulldogs on Friday, April 21, at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
"If you look at the two worst matches we played all year, both times after we really came back and played some really good matches after that," Gregory said. "For example, the way we responded to our regular-season loss to Gardner-Webb, I was really pleased with the way when we played them again in the conference tournament we won and played a really good match against them. That sort of response to a negative situation, I think, was really good."
To Gregory, the way the Bulldogs were able to bounce back epitomizes the type of student-athletes UNC Asheville women's tennis has on its team.
"It says a lot about the type of young ladies and people we have on the team," Gregory said. "It really speaks to that."
The Bulldogs return a ton of talent to next year's team, and Gregory thinks "we'll be better next year" because her young talent has a better understanding of what it takes.
"I love my team, but there is that core group that is going to be juniors now that it has been really fun to have on the team," Gregory said. "It's the kind of group that you look and you know they're going to provide leadership and you know they are going to be good players. You know all of that. Even though we're young, we've got a good group."
Gregory also knows that no matter what the next few months are crucial for both the returners and the newcomers.
"They all have stuff that they have to do over the summer," Gregory said. "I like them all to play tournaments over the summer and to keep training. I don't expect them to train as hard as when they're here, but they have certain expectations over the break so when they come back their improvement has continued."
To learn more about UNC Asheville women's tennis, please visit uncabulldogs.com. You can also follow UNC Asheville women's tennis on Twitter at @UNCA_WTENNIS and on Instagram at @unca_womenstennis.
Thursday, June 18
Wednesday, March 18
Wednesday, March 11
Friday, February 06