It is tennis season, Panthers! Drury University’s tennis teams have been exceptional for nearly two decades and it doesn’t look like this year is going to be any different. As the 2017-1018 tennis season kicks off, players from both the men and women’s teams are confident that this season will end in triumph.

Nick Parker, sophomore at Drury and second-year player for the tennis team, is excited for the upcoming season.

Nick Parker, sophomore tennis player, has high expectations for the team.

“I have high expectations for our team this year. We had a really good year last year and made it to the elite eight at nationals. We lost a couple of solid guys, but with some new guys coming in, our team is still very good – if not better than last year,” said Parker.

Even though the team may be more unyielding that last year, the team still has their sights set on improvement. With vigorous training and realistic goal setting, Parker believes that the ultimate can be attained.

“Our first goal is to win conference, but after that we are aiming to make it back to nationals and top our performance from last year,” said Parker.

The women’s tennis team has similar goals. Senior Larissa Karl has been playing tennis at Drury for three years, and continues to be unstoppable. In fact, she was named Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Player of the Week on Feb. 13. This is only the beginning – she wants her last year at Drury to end in victory.

Larissa Karl, senior tennis player, wants to finish her college career strong.              Photo via Drury Athletics

“I would like to see my team and I win conference and make it to nationals in Arizona this year; to finish my college career at the biggest event of the NCAA,” said Karl.

What is the secret to Drury’s tennis success? Karl and Parker seem to agree that it is having close friends on the court.

“My favorite part about playing tennis at Drury is the bond that we have all created. I’ve never been on a team as close as this one, and I know that each of my teammates and I will be lifelong friends,” said Parker.

Karl concurs.

“Being on court with my friends and winning trophies together is what motivates me.”

The current standing for both tennis teams is 4-0. In past years, the tennis team has seen much success. The DU men finished 21-4, and 5-0 in the GLVC, during the 2016-2017 season. They also went 13-9 in 2015-2016 and were 23-3 in 2014-2015.

The 2014-15 season came to an end with a loss in the “Sweet 16,” while the women’s team were 22-4 in 2016-2017, 20-4 in 2015-2016 and went 22-3 overall in 2014-15.

Jarrod Smith is the coach for both the men’s and women’s tennis teams. This is his 13^th year as coach for the Lady Panthers, and his 8^th year for the Panthers. He is a five-time Regional Coach of the Year recipient, and seven-time winner of the GLVC’s Coach of the Year distinction.

The Drury tennis teams play at Cooper Tennis Complex on Pythian Street. You can find a full schedule of upcoming games, as well as results from past games, at www.drurypanthers.com.

Article written by Delilah Gadd.