Fine-tuning in focus as tennis opens fall season

By NICK WILDE
Sports Reporter

The Creighton men’s and women’s tennis teams will make it a point to improve their individual games this fall.

Since the NCAA doesn’t allow team scoring during the fall tennis season, the emphasis is on individual players.

“The fall season is for improvement of the player and to work on tactics and technique,” said coach Tom Lilly.

Lilly also said the fall season gives players more time to focus on any weaknesses and gives them time to correct them before the spring season starts.

The Creighton women’s team returns its top three players from last year’s team. Senior co-captains Nicole Thurston and Katie Chiu lead the Jays. Chiu was a Missouri Valley All-Conference selection from last year. She earned that honor by finishing third in No. 1 singles at the MVC championships.

The Jays also welcome two freshmen to compete with the four returning players. Lindsey Erickson and Tess Reddin will add some depth to the team, Lilly said.

“They will add to a very competitive team and make everyone else better,” Lilly said.

The men’s tennis team returns nine members from last year’s team. Lilly said the top two returning players are sophomores Jose Guerra and Nikita Dudar.

“Top to bottom, the men’s team is very close from a competition standpoint,” Lilly said.

Lilly said all nine players could see some game action in the six singles positions. He also said the fall season will help sort out who will be the top six for the spring season.

“Seniors Chris Miller and Joe Eckert are good vocal leaders, always rooting for their teammates and encouraging them to be better players,” Lilly said.

“Miller and Eckert will also be key players in the team’s success this year,” Lilly said. “One of the benefits of the fall season is that it allows the coaches to try different doubles combinations.”

“We need to continue to improve our doubles teams so that in the spring we are confident in our teammates,” Chiu said.

“Sometimes the best singles players don’t make the best doubles players,” Lilly said. “The best doubles partners have individual styles that complement each other.”

The fall season allows the players to perfect their doubles game.

“The fall season helps build our team chemistry,” said Miller, the men’s captain.

In the fall, the men have only two tournaments, and the women have four.

The Omaha Collegiate Championships and MVC Individual Championships are played at Omaha’s Koch Family Tennis Center.