Roster:
April Ngo – Junior
Vivian Li – Junior
Leilani Tice – Sophomore
Claire Jaramishian – Senior
Matthew Soeherman – Junior
Ovidiu Fritsch – Freshman
Derek Lin – Senior
Teams defeated this season: Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz
Q: How did you first hear about the Tennis On Campus program? What made you decide to actively take part and also become a leader on your campus? How do you feel about TOC and being a captain?
I first heard about TOC when I started to play in club tennis. I took part on being a leader on campus because I thought I could improve club tennis at Davis and create an unforgettable experience for all members. TOC is a fantastic program because it gives many players a chance to still compete at a high level. There are many players who have the capability to play at a collegiate level, but play at the club level. This only helps increase the intensity and competition among all club teams and it is fantastic to get to experience that. As captain for my team, it is an honor because people have instilled their trust in us to represent our school.
Q: How did you enjoy your National Championships experience last year?
Nationals last year is one of the highlights of college. We won the Bronze bracket and left with a medal to remember all the effort and hard work we put in. Hopefully we can do better this upcoming Nationals, but as long as we create wonderful memories and meet new people I think is the best part of Nationals. Seeing old friends and creating new ones with people that also play tennis is amazing.
Q: What does it mean to be back? Was it a more difficult road to return to Nationals?
It is an honor to be back because there are so many colleges in the US that also deserve a spot. This year has been just as tough, if not harder than last year. Losing some veteran players, we could only hope for new people in club to rise to the occasion to fill in their spots and contribute as much as our past players. It’s never easy but we have managed to make things work and now we are back at Nationals.
Q: In what ways has your team improved this year?
This year, I believe all of our players are strong players and have experience in USTA tournaments. It’s a great feeling that all of us have experience in competing and have the mentality of a fierce competitor. I think with this team, we have a stronger camaraderie with one another and hopefully that’ll help us during this year at Nationals.
Q: What do you tell new players about Nationals, or players that are traveling for the first time to compete for your school?
I’ve always told them that this is an opportunity not many people get to have. Each school only sends a few guys and girls to represent their school. Additionally, you get to play at a higher level, meet new players, and probably travel and play at a place you’ve never been to. The experience of competing and traveling with a team is something that I’ve always thought it would be exciting. From last year it definitely was and we are grateful to be coming back once again.
Q: Who was your toughest opponent at past Nationals and how did they challenge you to become better?
The teams from Florida probably caused us the most trouble. Florida is known to have strong tennis players. Every time we had to face them, we never wanted to underestimate them and I’m glad we didn’t. Each match was tough for us and I’m glad we got to face them. It was a great learning experience because we know how hard we need to work in order to be able to compete with other players.
Q: Does your team actively use social media to stay connected? If so, what social media platforms are your favorites? Does your team use social media in any special way that you feel sets you apart from other teams?
Of course! Social media is probably one of the best ways to reach college students. Our team uses Facebook the most to communicate with one another. We have a group chat going on and if we find something funny we share it with everyone just to keep the camaraderie up.
Q: Do you have many seniors on your team? Do you think they know about opportunities after graduation like “Sets in the City” or young adult social leagues? Do you think anyone on your team would be interested in starting one?
We have two seniors on our team that have been so helpful and wonderful to have in club tennis. I believe they know about the summer leagues where you play teams from other areas. In the past years people from out club get together to play during the summer time.
Share with us some of the ways you help out in the local and global communities in the name of tennis.
We help out the local community by having tournaments at UC Davis which is open to the community. People from Sac, Woodland, Dixon, and Davis come out to join for some friendly competition.
Share with us a funny story about the 2016 team or team member(s).
Everyone on the team has a different personality, and that’s what makes us work so well together. Although we have four new members, Leilani, Claire, Ovidiu and Matthew, they are so easy going and funny. We have a lot of great moments, but one that stands out is at Sectionals at Stanford this past October. Ovidiu is a first year here at Davis and is a great player. A good amount of people thought he was angry, but … when taking photos though, he’d smile and [his angry expression would] go away.
If a local newspaper was to write a story about your team what is the one thing you’d want to make sure they included?
Everyone on our team comes from a competitive background, but one of the main reasons we do so well together is by the support of our Davis Tennis Club. Everyone is excited for us and wants us to do well. Occasionally, we will get messages saying “Great job” or “Good luck” when we play against other teams. Not only that, all of us get along very well with another and have a great time playing a wonderful sport. We hope that everyone gets a chance to play tennis by coming out to our hit rounds and enjoy tennis as much as we do.
