No. 2 Buckeyes Ready for Hurricanes – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 15, 2016
Columbus, Ohio— Ohio State’s No. 2-ranked women’s tennis team will play the Miami Hurricanes tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. It’s the final non-conference dual match of the year for the Buckeyes, who start up Big Ten play this Friday with an away match against Wisconsin.
Prior to this week’s big slate of competition, we took the time to talk with the team’s two sophomores: Anna Sanford and Olivia Sneed. They filled us in on what it was like to earn the school’s first-ever No. 1 ranking, the adjustments they made after their freshmen seasons, and so much more.
1) As sophomores you already have a full year of collegiate tennis under your belt. Did you train/prepare any differently coming into this year after competing as a freshman?
Anna Sanford: After last year a lot of us stayed and trained during the summer. We increased our agility training, strength training, and hitting. We spent a lot of hours on and off the court setting goals for this year and pushing each other to get better every day. The biggest difference that we made was the intensity increase at our practices, we all brought more energy and kept striving to get better.
Olivia Sneed: I realized how hard the season really is and I wanted to make sure that I was in good enough shape that I could make it through a whole season. We all worked really hard in the Fall and over break I tried my best to play as much tennis and work on my fitness as much as I could.
2) What was the biggest adjustment you had to make last year as a freshman collegiate tennis player?
AS: I think that the biggest adjustment between junior tennis and collegiate tennis is playing for your team. You have to learn to fight every point for your teammates, coaches, and your school. I think that this year, just like last year, I am learning to compete for all of my teammates and coaches and to represent Ohio State in the best way that I can.
OS: Playing for a team. I had been so used to always playing for myself and I found it to be a really big adjustment. I really enjoy it now and I like it a lot more than junior tennis but it was still really different
3) You’re both among the team’s leaders in singles victories this year after having very successful freshman seasons. How did you make sure to avoid a “sophomore slump” this year?
AS: I think this year, since most of us stayed during the summer, we came back prepared for fall training and continued to build on the work that we did over the summer. We saw the success and jumps that we made last year and built on our previous goals. I think seeing the potential we had as a team inspired everyone to keep pushing themselves every day on and off the court to compete harder.
OS: I have tried to stay really focused on my tennis play and the things that I can control. Things are going to happen on and off the court that you can’t control. I like to think a year later I’m a little more mature and I can handle these situations better. Also, I have a wonderful team that always has my back and I know that I can go to them whenever things go astray and they will help me through it.
4) How satisfying was it to earn the programs first-ever No. 1 national ranking?
AS: Earning the first No.1 ranking in program history was a very exciting moment for all of us. We were all so thrilled to see all of the hard work that we have done over the past few years pay off. Moments like this and moments like when we beat Michigan make all of hard training worth this excitement.
OS: It was great to make history this year and make it to No. 1. It was really awesome and it let us know that we are that good and we can compete with anyone in the country. But at the same time it is still fairly early in the season and we need to stay hungry to accomplish some of the goals we have set for the rest of the season.
5) In addition to that, the team has reached several other impressive benchmarks (first top-10 ranking, team records for singles and doubles rankings). How satisfying is it to see the amount of individual and group success being had by your team?
AS: It is very exciting to see all of the individual and group success this year. I think we are all proud, but not satisfied. We are thrilled with the records we have broken, but we are still excited to see what else we can accomplish.
OS: Team success has been awesome, but it’s also been cool to see the girls’ hard work paying off individually. Francesca works extremely hard and has been a great addition to this team and to see her off to such a great start for just her first year is so incredible. Miho and Anna are rock stars and I am so happy for all of their accomplishments in singles and for that amazing doubles ranking, they really deserve it.
6) What specifically has helped make this team so successful this season?
AS: I think our team chemistry has helped us take this jump. Everyone gets along and strives to make each of our teammates a better competitor and person. I think that this has really helped us make a jump this year because we all push each other to be the best we can be on and off the court.
OS: I think the success has come from lots of hard work from everyone and belief from Melissa and Adam to put us in situations that give us the opportunity to come up with big wins.
7) So far, you all have earned five wins over top-25 teams and four more over ranked opponents. How big of a confidence boost is it to see that, not only are you winning matches, but you’re winning against some of the best teams in the country?
AS: We have had some success over some very talented teams this year that has helped boost our confidence as a team. However, I think these wins have almost inspired all of us to keep working hard because it shows that we can hang with the best teams in the country if are willing to fight with passion and work hard every day.
OS: It is awesome to be doing so well. It is a big confidence booster to be able to not only compete against the best but also to be winning against the best and I have the team, Melissa, and Adam to thank for that!
8) Upperclassmen outnumber underclassmen 6-to-4; how has the team benefited from having a slightly older roster?
AS: I think since our team is mostly made up of upperclassmen this is a benefit because we have girls that have experienced the pressure and competition that comes occurs throughout our season. Through their advice and experiences it really helps the rest of us learn through them.
OS: It is really nice having such great upperclassmen. They’ve already experienced everything myself and the underclassmen are going through and they’ve learned from it so it’s nice to have people to go to for advice.
9) Aside from your two talented freshmen, the roster this year is identical to last year. How big of a factor was that stability and familiarity in helping to prepare yourselves for this season?
AS: I think that aside from adding our two freshman having our team remain the same was nice benefit because we all learned last year how to compete together and how to motivate one another during matches last year. However, the addition of our freshman has been nothing but a positive aspect to our team.
OS: It is awesome that we still are a fairly young team in terms of our lineup
10) As a team, how do you keep each other motivated and accountable when you’ve already had a lot of early-season success?
AS: I think we all want to keep dreaming bigger and keep striving to get better. I think even this early in the season everyone is going to continue to have the same passion and fight as we continue playing. We all want to see what we are able to accomplish and all desire to represent Ohio State in the best way we can.
OS: We are all very humble, and we are all still very hungry. Reaching No. 1 was great but we didn’t really discuss it because we still have a lot of goals that we want to accomplish and there is still a lot more tennis to be played this season. We know that we have to stay motivated if we want to accomplish these goals and that is why we work so hard every for each other.
