USTA Section: Texas
Roster:
Vibha Acharya - Senior
Kathryn Bonnen - Grad
Trevar Compton - Senior
Patrick Fumagalli - Junior
Austin Gonzales - Senior
Vinay Krishnan - Senior
Cotter McClinton - Sophomore
Sasha Pokudina - Senior
Anna Studt - Senior
Teams Defeated: Texas A&M, Baylor, Lone Star College - CyFair
USTA.com: When did you discover that you had the talent to win as a team?
After playing our first matches in the sectional tournament as a team. Everyone on our team is so competitive, yet supportive and easy-going. It was great to have a team full of like-minded people, and that definitely helped us relax and play our best tennis.
USTA.com: How does your team unwind after a day of matches?
We like to eat dinner as a team together and get a well-earned night’s rest!
USTA.com: When you qualified, how did you celebrate?
We were so excited that we had won the section championship that we felt like we just got off a crazy emotional roller coaster. We went to eat as a team and then relived the memories on Facebook. It took a while for our win to actually sink in.
USTA.com: Tell us a bit about how your school is unique?
We have people from so many different majors/groups that come together for the common interest of tennis. We are probably one of the bigger club tennis communities, but our team feels very small because everyone makes an effort to get to know each other.
USTA.com: How does your team fundraise? Do you serve your local community in a meaningful way?
Some of our players work with the Boys and Girls Club tennis program, teaching the game of tennis to young kids in Austin.
USTA.com: If you were to list three specific things that need to happen in order to win a National Championship, they would be:
- Show heart.
- Keep our fitness level high.
- Bring racquets!
USTA.com: How do you exhibit school spirit?
We have a team cheer and huddle together before every match. One of the guys on our team (a sports management major) leads the cheer and gets us match ready.
USTA.com: Share with us a funny story about your team or team member(s).
In the sectional championship, one of our players mistakenly thought that if you hit your own partner with a serve, then you lose the point. This was at a very heated moment in the match -- and upon being proven wrong, he could not stop laughing at the mistake he had made. Apparently, for years, he had been playing with that rule on himself and had given countless points to his opponents!