We have had a wonderful start to our conference season. The Northwest conference has definitely gotten tougher and deeper over the 6 seasons I've been at Whitman. When I assistant coached at UC Santa Cruz from 1999-2003, Linfield was tops in the NWC with Whitman, Whitworth, UPS, PLU and Willamette all close behind. So, if you could get a match with one of them and beat them, you pretty much stayed above the NWC.
Now, it's great to see our teams winning out of conference, improving our regional rankings and representing at NCAA's and in the national rankings. Last year was a wonderful ascencion to the forefront of the pack and as we fought our way into the national top 20 and have stayed there (currently #16 after close losses to #5 CMS and #14 LaVerne), the team is really taking each match as a challenge to be a top team nationally in every respect of the game. So, if that is losing a tough but wonderfully intense and well played match vs LaVerne, coming out on top of a thrilling 5-4 match with Linfield, or playing the ultra dominant tennis we did against a solid George Fox and a rebuilding Lewis and Clark team a week ago, we work hard to maintain our attitude, focus and intensity.
I can't say enough how hard it is in athletics when you're up on the scoreboard or the match is decided to do this, and the way we've practiced and played our 4 NWC matches (4-0 baby!), I couldn't be prouder of the weekly improvement this team is showing.
So, we thoroughly enjoyed a weekend off while our men hosted a wonderful quad of dual matches with #4 CMS, #8 Trinity (TX), #12 UC Santa Cruz. Hats off to all these great men's teams for demonstrating not just a high level of tennis but also wonderful sportsmanship and comraderie in combining intensity with respect the way sports are meant to be played. Huge kudos to our Whitman Men on taking down my alma mater UCSC today, hanging tough with arguably the best team in D3 (CMS) and going down to the wire in a 4-5 barnburner with Trinity. Coach Jeff Northam is a wonderful guiding light for all Whitman athletics and we are proud to share courts with him and his guys, what a terrific weekend Jeff.
The guys also warmed up our BRAND NEW outdoor courts with the first dual matches there, beating NWC contender Pacific and playing CMS in front of our wonderful home fans who line the courts with the great energy that flows from the Whitman community.
We hope to continue building that energy this weekend as we take on regional #17 PLU (5-0 on the season so far!) Friday at 4pm and then regional #16 UPS (3-1 so far) Saturday at 1pm, followed immediately by a tilt with Bellevue Community college.
It's a terrific opportunity to get tough conference matches and set our minds towards Spring Break in CA where we have our best schedule possibly ever, and it will also allow us to give everyone meaningful matches so I couldn't be more excited.
Enjoy the week and thanks for supporting and following WhitWomen's Tennis!
Coach John
News from Coach John Hein
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Coaching Philosophy
To me, being a college student is about opportunity and growth. As a coach, I consider myself lucky to spend 4 years providing opportunity while nurturing growth. We use common goals, hard work, open communication, respect and accountability as means to building meaningful relationships and improving each player’s skill set on and off the court. This means embodying championship virtues to inspire athletic, academic and personal growth that not only happens while you are at Whitman, but becomes a part of who you are throughout life.