Roster:
Matt Giordano – Grad
Zeke Brown – Senior
Aleksander Braksator – Sophomore
Jurgen de Jager – Grad
Daisy Hayward – Sophomore
Chaya Rajeev – Junior
Pragathi Shankar – Freshman
Christi Tain – Junior
Teams defeated this season: UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, Pepperdine, University of San Diego, Cal State Fullerton, UC San Diego
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?
An older high school tennis teammate actually was the captain of USC when I entered college. He encouraged me to go out for Cal Poly’s team. Needless to say, I am happy I listened to him. Club tennis quickly became something I looked forward to nearly every day. As I got to know my older college teammates, they encouraged me to take an officer position for my sophomore year. As an officer, I felt even closer to the team and could not pass on the opportunity to be captain when asked at the end of last season.
Q: How did you enjoy your National Championships experience last year?
Last year’s Nationals was a wild ride. We knew we had to be ready for anything, and still we couldn’t have guessed what was going to happen. Rain delayed our third match of Day 1, forcing us to finish group play early Day 2. We draw Cal Berkeley in the round of 16 and went into mixed only down two games. At 3-3 in the mixed set, my doubles partner, and our Nationals MVP last year, cramped to the point of no return. We had to sub her out and soon lost the set 6-3, resulting in a loss to Berkeley by five games. We later learned no other team got within 12 games. Day 2 continued late for us, beating Michigan just before 1 a.m. We finished off the weekend beating our in-state rivals Stanford to take ninth place. We ended the weekend 6-1 with our only loss coming to the National Champs.
Q: What does it mean to be back? Was it a more difficult road to return to Nationals?
This is the final season for most of our male players, which makes being back at Nationals very special. We of course want to prove how far we can go, but just getting to this point was always a preliminary goal. We got another tough draw in Southern California’s Sectionals tournament. We played UC Irvine, who placed 12th last year at Nationals, in the quarterfinals. Our young singles players really came through, both grabbing big wins.
Our mixed doubles team had a close match but never lost their nerve to put us into the semis against UC Santa Barbara, another top 40 team from last years Nationals. We were able to advance and play UCLA, last Nationals fourth place finishers. We grabbed a lead after doubles thanks to our veteran doubles teams. Singles was tight but mixed steam rolled their way to a decisive win against a UCLA team desperate to defend their title.
Q: In what ways has your team improved this year?
Our team not only has better individual talent this year, but also an improved team mentality. Ego and drama has practically vanished from this team. Subbing out, which can be an embarrassing and dramatic process, has become more voluntary than captain mandated. If players realize their game does not match up well against that certain opponent and they quickly look to change things up. Similarly, advice and observations are welcomed from all teammates. It’s allowed us to play the best lineup no matter the circumstance.
Q: What do you tell new players about Nationals, or players that are traveling for the first time to compete for your school?
I never hesitate to tell new players that Nationals is the biggest tournament of the year. We practice all year with North Carolina in mind. New players seemed shocked at the size of the three-day tournament. Almost all our players are National veterans at this point, but the two rookies are ready for the weekend. They understand what this tournament represents.
Q: Who was your toughest opponent at past Nationals and how did they challenge you to become better?
Berkeley. They were clearly the best team last year and I would guess the favorites this year. We had a tight match with them that ended quickly after our mixed doubles girl cramped. It was tough to draw lessons from this match for awhile because everyone played so well and we still lost. However, we lost that match before we even took the court on Day 1. We did not bring enough substitute players. We had players doubling up all weekend which inevitably wore them down. Thinking back, Berkeley seemed to have the largest team there, enough to have a cheering section as well as players to keep others warm on the practice courts. We are mirroring their success last year and bringing a few extra 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?
We are pretty conventional when it comes to social media. We use Facebook to communicate team messages but don’t use much else.
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 three graduating players on this years A-team alone. Eight graduating players throughout our team. We aren’t familiar with these programs but would be open to considering them. I for one don’t want to put down my racquet next year.
Share with us some of the ways you help out in the local and global communities in the name of tennis.
We volunteer at local races while wearing our club tennis apparel.
Share with us a funny story about the 2015 team or team member(s).
Every year we have a Halloween practice. Players show up in costume and play group games like “Around the World” or “Graveyard”.
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?
I would hope the newspaper would include how much our team enjoys spending time with one another. The friendships go well beyond the court. The fact that most players are roommates with at least one teammate is testament to how close-knit we are.
