Tennis set for promising season

Michael Westerman, Editor-in-Chief

The women’s squad kicked off the fall season of Eagles tennis on Friday, Aug. 28, against Sauk Valley…results

Coach Julie Milota is expecting great things from her 16-athlete squad (comprised of six women and 10 men), which includes two second-team All-Americans and four high school state qualifiers.

As a two-time National qualifier during her IV career and winner of a full-ride scholarship to Southern Illinois University (which one), Milota understands the demands of competition.

“One important quality they all have is they dig it out, reach down deep and sink their teeth in when it gets rough,” she said of her 2015 team. Harnessing the drive in her players not only transfers on to the court, but also in the classroom. “They tend not to give up as easy and push through. They want to play, which encourages their grades to be at a certain level — and most already have great grades.”

The Eagles will play seven scheduled matches before the D3 regionals start in early October, but both the Eagles and Milota plan to be playing much later than that.

However, Milota does not include winning in her goals for this season. “I want them to play consistently, which increases everyone’s level of play. I hope that long-term friendships develop from their experience.”

The Eagles’ next match is Sept. 5 in Decatur against Millikin University and the next home match will be Sept. 13 against College of Lake County.