SEPT 5, 2024 | SPORTS | By Lilly Asano, Sports Section Editor
Under a paling sky, over 40 students gathered on the Burghart Tennis Courts on Tuesday, Sep. 3. While normally home to the Colorado College women’s and men’s NCAA Division III tennis teams and intramural pickleball tournaments, they’re also now the club tennis stomping grounds.
The club team — spearheaded by Fiona Vail ‘26, Olivia Harris ‘27, Songhyun Kim ‘27 and Nolan Diffley ‘27 — met for the first time on Tuesday night.
“So many people played in high school and weren’t necessarily wanting to play at a DIII level,” said Harris, the team’s social chair. “I feel like this just gives people an opportunity to continue playing the sport.”
Vail, the president and women’s captain, transferred from Colby College last year and recognized the absence of a club tennis team. Colby College also didn’t offer a club program and after playing throughout high school, she wanted to continue her expression of the sport in college.
However, multiple club tennis programs have been launched and failed over the years at CC due to poor advertising and organization, along with a general lack of time for students to commit to developing a new program. There were efforts last year to get the club off the ground but it never came to fruition, and Vail wanted to fill that void.
As a sophomore, Vail set her sights on bringing a club program to CC and after nearly a year of planning, she was joined by Harris, Kim and Diffley to execute her vision. With an emphasis on community building, they wanted to create a space where other students could continue their love for tennis and stay active in college.
“There’s clearly a desire for [club tennis],” Nolan Diffley, men’s captain, said. The practice filled five courts over an hour-and-a-half and also operated briefly on a sixth court.
Freshman Olivia Schlegel grew up playing tennis with her dad. Schlegel asked her Priddy leaders if there was a club team and was excited to learn that this year, there would be. Lauren Voinovich ‘27 didn’t know a program existed until the Aug. 29 club fair and is now happy to have people to play tennis with.
Other participants attended the practice to hang out with friends, including Vail’s roommate Mariposa Beane ‘26. Due to Vail’s extensive commitments outside of running club tennis, Beane came to practice to spend more time with Vail.
After dominating in King of the Court, Brian Christensen ‘28 shared his love for the competitive aspect of tennis. His friend Ethan Weinshel ‘28, however, was more excited to play — and defeat — Christensen.
“I hope to make new friends, stay in shape, and fuck up Brian on the court,” Weinshel grinned. “And also have a great time.”
With participants from all grades and previous tennis experiences, the club offers varying commitment and competition levels. Unlike other club teams where students are rostered based on try-outs, participants can join club tennis to learn about the sport, participate in community building activities and social events, or compete after building basic skills, all factors that club organizers believe will increase accessibility to the sport.
As president, Vail wants to create a program that will last and parallels other CC club sports like women’s soccer, men’s soccer, club hockey, baseball, rugby and frisbee. Men’s soccer appeared in last year’s National Collegiate Club Championship tournament and made it to the semi-finals, while the men’s frisbee team, Wasabi, were crowned the 2023 DIII national champions. Other club programs have traditions like Fun Run, bake sales and mixers with other campus groups.
“Tennis is… one of the few [sports] that you can play for the rest of your life,” Vail shared. “I think it’s a really good way to form connections now and carry them on.”
Following warm-ups, players practiced hitting and returns under the supervision of club founders and leadership chairs, who all played tennis throughout high school or have coaching experience. Students who came without rackets borrowed extras and newcomers received feedback and encouragement from their peers. Groups were then split into skill levels and played Bump and King/Queen of the Court for the remainder of practice.
“I’m so excited for where this team is headed,” Vail announced to the group of remaining players at the end of practice. With beaming faces and comradery, club tennis is off to a great start.
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