University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Women's Tennis Made Most of Fall Without Matches
12/17/2020 3:19:00 PM | Women's Tennis
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss women's tennis team did not get the opportunity to compete this fall due to COVID-19, but everyone found ways to develop themselves on and off the court, from Hattiesburg to other hemispheres.
"When I went home (to Australia), I had to quarantine for two weeks," Monique Burton said. "I did a lot of at-home workouts, and I also changed my pushup position into an army one where you get more work on your triceps. I also improved my French a lot by downloading DuoLingo, and I had done it before in school and did a little with my teammates and had been working on it, but I did the app every day and had a 90-day streak. When I came back, my French was pretty good."
Sarah Medik, who hails from Austria, cited reading and meditation as new elements to her repertoire, with the latter being something she does daily, especially after busy days.
The two have also had differences in their competition opportunities. Medik had the benefit of competing in 2-3 club matches each weekend, complemented by normal practice habits during the week, which gave her valuable mental reps.
"I would say my serve has been one of the things I've worked on the most," she said. "It's just always different. Here I play on a hard court, but at home, I play on clay. I worked on my serve and technical parts, and the rest is tactic."
The same cannot necessarily be said for Burton, who has found ways to focus on the positives.
"Everything in Australia was shut down, so there weren't any tournaments, but I practiced with people I knew and got some hits," she said. "It was hard to improve in terms of match play. It's different than just training. I've surprisingly done a lot this semester despite not having a season. We've played points against each other and have been working hard with Brooke (strength and conditioning coach) and Steve (Schram, head coach). I feel really competitive this season and everyone can say the same."
The developmental growth has also transcended beyond Medik and Burton, who credit Katia de la Garza, Ebru Zeynep Yazgan and Arina Amaning's determination amidst injuries.
"Ebru and Katia both had shoulder surgery this summer, and my goodness their first week back after not playing for six months, they came back incredible," Burton said. "They picked it up so quickly. Arina was playing No. 1 and had knee surgery during the fall, and while she wasn't playing tennis, she was off her crutches in two weeks. She's done a hundred reps of different rehab with specific muscles. All of them have recovered so quickly. We are working hard as a team and know that circumstances are difficult, but we're doing well right now."
And there is even one more contribution Amaning has been making to the program.
"Arina has been teaching me French," Burton said. "We meet weekly for lessons and it's been a year now. Ever since then, it's been getting better. When I go to France to visit her, it'll be really good by then."
Southern Miss will begin its season Jan. 15 at Mississippi State, followed by the home opener three days later against West Alabama.
"When I went home (to Australia), I had to quarantine for two weeks," Monique Burton said. "I did a lot of at-home workouts, and I also changed my pushup position into an army one where you get more work on your triceps. I also improved my French a lot by downloading DuoLingo, and I had done it before in school and did a little with my teammates and had been working on it, but I did the app every day and had a 90-day streak. When I came back, my French was pretty good."
Sarah Medik, who hails from Austria, cited reading and meditation as new elements to her repertoire, with the latter being something she does daily, especially after busy days.
The two have also had differences in their competition opportunities. Medik had the benefit of competing in 2-3 club matches each weekend, complemented by normal practice habits during the week, which gave her valuable mental reps.
"I would say my serve has been one of the things I've worked on the most," she said. "It's just always different. Here I play on a hard court, but at home, I play on clay. I worked on my serve and technical parts, and the rest is tactic."
The same cannot necessarily be said for Burton, who has found ways to focus on the positives.
"Everything in Australia was shut down, so there weren't any tournaments, but I practiced with people I knew and got some hits," she said. "It was hard to improve in terms of match play. It's different than just training. I've surprisingly done a lot this semester despite not having a season. We've played points against each other and have been working hard with Brooke (strength and conditioning coach) and Steve (Schram, head coach). I feel really competitive this season and everyone can say the same."
The developmental growth has also transcended beyond Medik and Burton, who credit Katia de la Garza, Ebru Zeynep Yazgan and Arina Amaning's determination amidst injuries.
"Ebru and Katia both had shoulder surgery this summer, and my goodness their first week back after not playing for six months, they came back incredible," Burton said. "They picked it up so quickly. Arina was playing No. 1 and had knee surgery during the fall, and while she wasn't playing tennis, she was off her crutches in two weeks. She's done a hundred reps of different rehab with specific muscles. All of them have recovered so quickly. We are working hard as a team and know that circumstances are difficult, but we're doing well right now."
And there is even one more contribution Amaning has been making to the program.
"Arina has been teaching me French," Burton said. "We meet weekly for lessons and it's been a year now. Ever since then, it's been getting better. When I go to France to visit her, it'll be really good by then."
Southern Miss will begin its season Jan. 15 at Mississippi State, followed by the home opener three days later against West Alabama.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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