Georgia Southern women's tennis opens up the 2023 Spring season with a lot of confidence that it will once again battle for a Sun Belt Conference Championship, something the Eagles have had the opportunity to do twice in four opportunities under Head Coach Sean McCaffrey.
The Eagles advanced to the 2019 Sun Belt title match and captured the 2021 Sun Belt championship with a 4-3 win over South Alabama that propelled Georgia Southern to its first NCAA Championships appearance. To get back to that match will take another outstanding effort in a new-look Sun Belt that has added four new schools and taken the national profile of the league up a notch in the realm of NCAA Division I women's tennis.
A team featuring four returnees from last season's 12-11 squad and welcomes in five newcomers has had an outstanding Fall and Spring preparation for kicking off the new campaign on Friday, Feb. 3, at Clemson.
"This team is extremely close," Coach McCaffrey said. "They have bonded in a way that I did not anticipate. But their buy-in and dedication to the program exceeds what I had anticipated. And over the last couple of weeks, we're seeing individuals step up and doubles teams that could be really effective. I believe all of our players will be extremely strong in whatever positions we put them in."
The five newcomers make this squad one of the youngest that Coach McCaffrey has had since joining Georgia Southern in 2017. But while others may say it's a rebuilding year, Coach McCaffrey uses another term to describe the squad this season.
"I don't believe in that term - rebuilding," Coach McCaffrey said. "Recalibrating, maybe. Just finding out what is necessary for us to grow and develop within that year. Every year that I coach, I'm going to find a way for us to compete for a conference championship. Rebuilding means that it's ok not to have a focus on your results. We are focused on our development, and we want to make sure we are competing."
One of the biggest challenges the Eagles face this season is a new-look Sun Belt that adds perennial mid-major powerhouses Old Dominion and James Madison, along with strong programs in Southern Miss and Marshall. So the Eagles have tailored a schedule in 2023 to prepare Georgia Southern for a rigorous conference slate.
"Every match we play this season is against a Division I program," Coach McCaffrey said.
"Some years, in the beginning, you schedule to try and find a way to help the team learn how to win. This year, I don't see that as being advantageous for us. We have a difficult schedule because the Sun Belt is absolutely, without a doubt, the strongest it's ever been. All four teams are really good, and some of the existing teams have been able to bring in players in order to compete. My goal, every year, is to make it to Sunday and play for a conference championship. We've done it twice in the four chances I've had. I think we are in a good spot for that to happen. If we do it right, with our mental performance plan and our physical preparation, I think we can be really successful."
Looking at the singles lineup for the Eagles in 2023, it begins at the top with All-Sun Belt Conference singles returnee Silvia Martinez. But she will be joined at the top by freshman Ana Tsitavets from Belarus, South Carolina transfer Lindsay Tulenko and freshman Ninon Martinache from France. But like last year, Coach McCaffrey is quick to explain that almost any of his players could work their way into the top of the lineup.
"There's so little separating the women," Coach McCaffrey said. "Paula [Hijos] played No. 2 last year, and Nanaka Kijima from Japan was a very sought after recruit. Sophie Wagemaker and Sonja Keranen both played important parts last year and got tons of time playing singles, and there's no reason to see why they can't contribute as well. And Liv [Ryan] has such a unique style of game play, where if she gains a little more experience, there's no stopping her."
Doubles was a key to the Eagles' drive to a title in 2021 and last year, the teams got stronger as the season went along. Coach McCaffrey feels this year's doubles teams could be even better.
"During practice in January, I couldn't stop from getting goosebumps at how extremely good our doubles were," Coach McCaffrey said.
"Setting that tone, starting the match out, is going to be important. I have four strong doubles teams. Sophie and Liv have the potential to be special. Lindsay and Ninon, Sonja and Silvia, Ana and Nana. The key to their success will be - can they stay disciplined? Will they stay in the moment? I tell them all the time, you have to give a little to get a little. You put the ball in play to set yourself up for the next ball instead of going for the winner. Very few points in college tennis are decided on winners. And I feel some of these teams could be interchangeable as the season goes along."
The Eagles will play their first four tennis matches away from home before opening up their home slate at the Wallis Tennis Center on Sunday, February 12, against Jacksonville State. Georgia Southern has 10 home matches in 2023, leading up to the Sun Belt Conference Championships on April 27-30 in Peachtree City, Ga.
