Roster:
Javeed Kassam – Senior
Darin Poei – Senior
Colin Tseng – Grad
Anna Rudakova – Senior
Lacy Schneemann – Freshman
Jae-Jae Segal – Freshman
Kellie Taylor – Grad
Teams defeated this season: Pepperdine, San Diego State, UC-Irvine, UCLA, UC-San Diego, and UC-Santa Barbara.
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?
Tennis on Campus has always had a rich history at USC. Tennis has always a big part of life for everyone on the team and Tennis on Campus helped continue that. We believe this program was a good fit for us because it was the perfect combination of being able to play tennis competitively and being able to enjoy ourselves.
Q: How did you enjoy your National Championships experience last year?
Last year we were unable to attend the National Championship, which is why it is so exciting to be back. We are hoping to make up for our absence last year.
Q: What does it mean to be back? Was it a more difficult road to return to Nationals?
Being back is especially exciting for our team this year; not only because we were unable to attend it last year, but also because we have many seniors who have been very involved since freshman year. We believe we can do great things with our talented rookie class combined with our experienced seniors.
Q: In what ways has your team improved this year?
Our team has improved tremendously; we have been much more focused, with set practices that included a singles and doubles ladder as well as conditioning routines. Not only have these practices affected the nature of our tactical and technical game, but also they provided us with a mindset that is absolutely critical for confidence.
Q: What do you tell new players about Nationals, or players that are traveling for the first time to compete for your school?
We tell the new players that Nationals is the peak of the season. It is a time where we hope all of our hard work to pay off, but also to escape the realities of normal life into traveling for a sport we’re passionate about with a team that’s become a family.
Q: Who was your toughest opponent at past Nationals and how did they challenge you to become better?
Our toughest opponent in the past was Cal. They’ve had lots of success at Nationals, so we’ve done our best to practice as hard as we can to have a different outcome this year.
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?
We use Facebook mostly to coordinate practices, to create polls and to discuss social activities. It has been a great organizational tool to determine who’s attending practices so we can arrange our routine accordingly.
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 many seniors on our team. Many of our teammates were active members of the USTA when they were younger, so they will definitely look to participate in USTA opportunities after graduation.
Share with us some of the ways you help out in the local and global communities in the name of tennis.
We’ve made it a tradition every year to volunteer at the Billy Jean King Fundraiser. We play an exhibition match consisting of mixed doubles with CSULA Women’s team to help Billy Jean King raise awareness and garner support for her foundation as well as the athletics department at CSULA.
Share with us a funny story about the 2015 team or team member(s).
During the spring semester, we decided to surprise one of our teammates for her birthday. After one of our practices, we decided to meet at Target because it was a location that she would least expect to be surprised at. While one of our teammates brought the birthday girl to Target to do some last minute shopping, we hid in one of the aisles. When she came to our aisle, we surprised her with several plates of whipped cream. Thankfully, she took the surprise well and we provided her with a change of clothes then took her out to dinner afterwards.
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?
We would hope that the newspaper would discuss the diversity of our team because our team consists of players from nine different states and three different countries. Even though our players are from different backgrounds, we have bonded really well over the past year. We really are a family, and our relationship goes much further than the lines of the court.
