Ten years ago, psychology senior Nikki Bishop wanted to play hockey, but her mom pressured her to play tennis. Now, tennis has become a key part of her life, and she is preparing to play her last tournament as an MSU student and MSU Club Tennis team member this weekend at the U.S. Tennis Association Tennis on Campus National Championship in Cary, N.C.
“I loved (tennis) immediately,” Bishop said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do after I graduate.”
This is the first time in the team’s history it has won enough games to qualify by bid to play in the tournament, which begins today and runs through Saturday, said the team’s women’s president Tina Van Doornik. In 2009, the team was selected to play in the tournament from a lottery.
“We’re just extremely excited that we made it this far,” said Van Doornik, a zoology junior.
“Anything more would just be icing on the cake.”
Ten members of the about 45-person, coed team will play in the tournament, she said.
According to Tennis on Campus National Manager Glenn Arrington, 64 college and university teams from all over the country, including Penn State University and University of Wisconsin, will begin competition today when the matches that determine the brackets start.
How the teams place today in their pools will determine whether they are entered into the gold, silver, bronze or copper brackets.
Van Doornik, who is attending the tournament but is not competing, said the team received its bid by placing second in its regional tournament at University of Wisconsin. The team currently is ranked No. 1 in its pool, she said.
“They’ve earned the right to play in the national championship,” Arrington said.
Men’s president Ryan Bell, who also will be competing this weekend, said making it to the national championship this year is extremely rewarding because the team is student run and provides all its own funding.
“As the (men’s) president, I take a lot of pride in the team doing well,” the general management junior said.
Although the chance to compete this weekend is exciting, several team members said the team is about much more than competition. Bishop said MSU Club Tennis has become a huge part of her life in the four years she has spent on the team at MSU.
“I wasn’t expecting to make friends with it,” Bishop said, adding most of her friends now are club team members.
Several players mentioned world team tennis, the type of tennis played by the club, has allowed them to play a sport they love in a more relaxed setting than a varsity team could have allowed them.
“Some of the people (on the team) could definitely play varsity, but they don’t want that much of a commitment,” Bishop said.
Bishop said winning the tournament this weekend would be “unreal.”
“Whatever we do, I’ll be happy,” Bishop said. “I’m just excited to play.”
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