Awards Keep Coming

Even though all of our students have left campus for the summer, members of both our men’s and women’s teams continue to receive awards. At our end of season team banquet and dinner, we gave out the MVP and Major Award for each team. Each award was voted on by the players and coaches. The MVP is given to the player whose on court performance is most outstanding throughout the season. The Major Award is given to the player who best represented what it means to play for Millsaps Tennis. This person works hard every day in practice, puts the team first, and represents our school and program with class. For the women, Deena was voted MVP and Lauren received the Major Award. On the men’s side, Malte was voted the MVP and Charles was the Major Award winner.

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference recognizes players in a number of different ways for the performance on the court. Lauren was voted to the All-SCAC tournament team because of her performance in singles during the SCAC tournament. Malte went 14-7 at #1 singles and 12-8 in doubles this season earning him First Team All-SCAC honors. Malte received the 6th most votes in the conference and was also named All-SCAC in 2011.

Three members of the women’s tennis team received All-SCAC honors. Deena was voted to the first team and seniors Lauren and Elizabeth received Honorable Mention for their play throughout the season. Deena was third in the voting and finished the season with a 21-2 record at #1 singles and went 17-6 at #1 doubles. Lauren and Elizabeth both led the Majors to an all time high 3rd place finish in the SCAC as well as the largest win total for a women’s team with an 18-5 record. The women’s team also received a number of Atlantic South region rankings. The team finished ranked 11th in the region while Deena was ranked as the #23 singles player. The final doubles rankings have not been released, but as of the last ranking Callie and Elizabeth were the #15 team in the region as well.

The last conference awards to be given out were the All Sportsmanship team. The players selected from Millsaps were senior Lauren Williams and junior Adam Tilly. Our team strives to play tennis the right way, representing our team and school the best we can no matter who we play. Ask any of our players and they will tell you that they take pride in playing for one another while still respecting their opponent. Both Lauren and Adam are great representatives of Millsaps Tennis.

To round out the awards, Lauren was also recognized as The Don Fortenberry Award winner. The award is presented to a graduating student from any undergraduate academic division of the College who is considered to have performed the most notable, meritorious, diligent, and devoted service to Millsaps College with no expectation of recognition, reward, or public remembrance. We are proud to have the winner of this prestigious award as part of the Millsaps Tennis Family.

Continue to check back here with updates on what our student-athletes are doing over the summer. Thank you all who have supported our team throughout the 2012 season. We look forward to continuing to make Millsaps Tennis a great program to be apart of.

Meet the Majors – Laura Kebert

Next up on Meet the Majors is rising junior Laura Kebert.

1.    Where are you from and where did you go to high school?

I am from the small town (surprise) of McComb, MS, and I attended McComb High School.

2.    What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

My favorite flavor of ice cream has to be birthday cake for two reasons. One, it is more creative than Tilly’s answer of chocolate (how boring), and two, who wouldn’t like your ice cream and birthday cake already mixed for you?

3.    If you could have one job in the world, what would it be?

I don’t know if this job exists, but I would like to be paid to be a perpetual student with no tests.  I could spend my time just learning for fun while also getting the pleasure of critiquing the teachers with no responsibility of studying.

4.    Tell us one of the best things about going to school at Millsaps?

Excluding the obvious ones of my team and academics, I would have to say the nights you didn’t expect, but won’t forget that strengthen friendships when you discover you have more in common than thought previously.

5.    Name two hobbies you have?

I’m going to have to take after my mother on this one and say I love pictures.  Being the unofficial photographer of the tennis team has made me really want a new fancy lens with fantastic zoom (hint, hint, Daddy). Another hobby I have is running.  I’m definitely addicted to the runner’s high.

6.    How did you first start playing tennis?

I started playing at a clinic at the local country club when I was in the first grade, but at the time I was in convinced I was the next soccer star so I gave it up.  Luckily, I gained the realization that I like tennis outfits more than shin guards and picked the sport back up in seventh grade.

7.    What do you think the biggest win the team has had so far this season?

Even though any day you beat MC is a great day, I would have to say our final match at the SCAC tournament.  That match everything we had worked for seemed to come together.  We played some of our best tennis as a team, had Callie and Zab come from behind to win their singles, beat a team that had previously won 5-4 earlier in the season, and made history for the Millsaps women’s tennis program.

8.    Would you rather bungee jump or sky dive or neither?

Sky dive hands down. I do not care what Lauren Williams says, that whiplash from a bungee jump cannot be a good feeling.

9.    What has been your favorite class at Millsaps?

Even though this is a pointless question since all my classes are fantastic, I’ll still entertain coach with an answer.  My favorite class by far has been Religion and Pop Culture.  I am extremely knowledgeable on the topics of today’s popular culture thanks to all my free time to watch television and go to movies, and I also greatly enjoy debating how Tupperware was/is most definitely a religion.

10.   What tennis player are you the biggest fan of right now?

I am going to have to go with the journeywoman, Jill Craybas.  She has been a professional since 1996 and is still playing.  She might not ever make it in the top 10, but she is still doing her thing.  Like her, I may never be the best, but I’ll still be there.

Making History

Like the men, the women traveled to Little Rock to play in the SCAC tournament a couple of weeks ago. The team entered the tournament as the #4 seed, so there were some expectations for us to perform well. Our first match was against Birmingham Southern, a team we defeated 5-4 in the regular season. Anytime you play a close match like that, you expect it to be close again. During our team meeting the night before, we spoke about trusting ourselves and our teammates. It was important for us to understand that our training in practices and matches throughout the season had prepared us for this moment. A staple of this team all season was the way they played together and had a lot of fun while doing it. On Friday morning it was time to go out and have some fun.

The women came out and played the best doubles of the year right when they needed it. #1 and #2 took care of business, winning their matches 8-1 and 8-2 respectively. The biggest win of the whole match was the dominating win by the #3 team of Margaret and Laura. They lost the first time we played BSC, but on this day they were determined to come through for us. The outcome was never in doubt as they ran away with the 8-2 victory. Going into the singles up 3-0 helped everyone relax because we knew there was no way this team could beat us five out of the six singles. After Deena earned the fourth point for the team, Laura clinched the match for the Majors with an impressive 6-3, 6-3 win. We would find out after the tournament that Laura played the whole weekend with a stress fracture in her foot. Her gutsy performance all weekend sent a message to her teammates that we all had to do whatever it would take to win the match. The final score over BSC was 7-2, not nearly as close as we thought it would be. We enjoyed the win throughout the afternoon but after dinner it was time to start focusing on our semifinal opponent, the Trinity Tigers.

Trinity was the 14th ranked team in the nation and was by far the best team we had played all year. Even though Trinity was a very talented team, the Millsaps women were not intimidated and it showed in the doubles. There was a moment when the score was tied at #1 doubles, 3-3 and #2 doubles was up 4-3. You could tell the Trinity team was not expecting this kind of fight from us. The #2 team of Callie and Elizabeth continued their strong start and pushed the match all the way to 7-7 until finally falling 9-7. Even though we were down 3-0 after the doubles, we had certainly gotten Trinity’s attention and in the singles we kept it. Deena played exceptional at #1, taking the first set from one of the top 10 players in the country. The second set did not go her way and she found herself in a third set tie break. Unfortunately, Deena suffered only her second loss of the season, losing the tie break 10-4. While Deena was battling at #1, Lauren was frustrating her opponent on almost every single point. In one of the most impressive wins of her career, Lauren earned the Majors only point with a 6-2, 7-5. Even though we lost, the team was already fired up to play Southwestern the next morning for third place.

Southwestern was a team we lost a heart breaking match to earlier in the season by a score of 5-4. Like any close match, we lost two doubles matches which was the difference in the match back in March. We knew we didn’t play our best in doubles that day and it would be key for us to come out energized early on Sunday morning. The Majors jumped all over the Pirates and took two of the doubles points which gave us the lead we desperately needed. The singles weren’t easy though, every court was a battle. Southwestern tied the score at 2-2, but our captain got the lead right back with a 6-2, 6-1 victory. This was Lauren’s third singles win of the tournament. Deena would be next with her own convincing victory, earning her 21st win of the season and the teams fourth point of the match. While Laura fought as hard as she could to stay out on the court with her injured foot, everyone knew it was going to come down to Callie and Elizabeth. We needed one of them to win, but each had lost tough first sets. With the confidence and maturity that exemplified this team all year, both Callie and Elizabeth played awesome second sets and sent their matches to a third set. Everyone could feel the momentum shift to the Majors and from that point on the outcome was never in doubt. On  match point, Callie hit a forehand that wasn’t returned, let out a loud “Let’s Go Majors!!” and then hugged Deena and Laura as they stormed the court after the win. Callie’s match clinched the victory for the Majors. A few minutes later, Elizabeth would win her 19th match of the season and the final score of the win against Southwestern was 6-3.

The women knew what was on the line when they stepped on the court at Burns Park that morning. They knew finishing third place in the SCAC would be the highest finish of any Millsaps women’s tennis team. They knew it would mean that in one year they would have jumped eight spots, from last to third place. They knew it would mean an 18th win of the season, easily surpassing any win total from previous years. More importantly, they knew beating Southwestern was the right way to finish this season. So when the last ball was struck and they had one, final team huddle, they knew they had just made history.

Measuring Success

A lot of times when people look back on a season they look at two things to decide if it was a success or not. Those two being the win/loss record and what place the team finished in the conference. While both of those are good indicators of how the season went, they do not tell the whole story. The men’s team competed in the SCAC tournament two weeks ago in Little Rock and finished in 8th place. What is great about being a part of this team or being a supporter of the Majors who follows us throughout the season is that you realize there is much more to this team than finishing 8th. We knew we had a lot of tennis to play when we started on Friday, four matches in three days is no easy task. Our first match of the tournament was against the Southwestern Pirates. We defeated them earlier in the season, but expected a good, competitive match. The guys came out with a ton of energy and took the always important 2-1 lead after doubles. Tilly and Charles made quick work of their opponents, giving us 4 points. After close first sets, both Malte and David pulled them out in tiebreaks. David’s opponent had to retire due to exhaustion and Malte closed out his second set by a score of 6-3, which also ended up being the final score of the team match. It was a good first match for the Majors, but we didn’t have long to enjoy it because later in the day we faced the #1 seeded Trinity Tigers.

After a short lunch and a little bit of rest it was back on the courts for the quarterfinal match. Trinity, the #8 ranked team in the nation, was too much for us on this day. The guys played tough but Trinity was the better team and moved on to the semifinals. Even though we lost, we were not out of the tournament. On Saturday we would be back at Burns Park to play Centre for the chance to play for fifth place on Sunday. We didn’t play Centre during the regular season, but had an idea it was going to be a very close match. In what had to have been one of the best matches of the tournament, Centre defeated the Majors by a score of 5-4. There were incredible matches throughout, and it started in the doubles. Malte and Tilly won with ease at the #1 position, but #2 and #3 doubles went down to the wire. With both matches tied at 8-8 and moving into a tiebreak, everyone knew the outcome would give one team a huge advantage mentally going into the singles. Unfortunately, the Colonels found a way to win both matches and take a 2-1 lead. Malte and David were once again locked in tight battles, as well as Charles and Beau. After going down 3-1, Beau played one of his best matches of the year to give us our second point. After losing another singles match, we were on the brink of defeat and needed to win the three remaining matches left on court. Malte pulled out his third set, 6-4, giving the Majors a boost of energy. Sadly, on this day it wouldn’t be enough. David, who we all know likes to play long matches, was fighting cramps more than his opponent by the time the third set started. Down 4-3 in the third, David took an injury time out due to his cramping. Most players would have called it quits, but David got back up, grabbed a ball, walked to the line and started another point. It was a valiant effort, but with almost no mobility the third set and match went to Centre. Charles finished off the scoring for the Majors as he won his match in the third set. It was an exhausting loss, but we had nothing to hang our heads about. We played as hard as we could and that is all anyone can ask for.

On Sunday morning, we played our toughest match of the year. Not because it was the best opponent or because it was the last match of the season. Playing Oglethorpe was going to be difficult because of losing such a heart breaker the day before and the amount of energy we had left in the tank. Most people would have understood if we came out flat or down, but like so many times during the season, the guys played with a ton of enthusiasm and pride. It showed in the doubles, as #1 doubles got the first point and #2 doubles came from behind to give us the 2-1 lead by winning their pro set 9-7. In the singles, all the time on court caught up to us. While Malte and Tilly got some revenge by beating opponents they had lost to in the regular season, we weren’t able to find that elusive fifth point. The fight the men showed throughout the match after playing so much tennis was extremely impressive. The Oglethorpe match was our fourth in three days and we played them much closer than we did the week prior, showing the resilience of this group of men. In sports, one team wins and one loses, that is what makes it so much fun. But it’s also what makes it so tough. We did not finish as high as we wanted to in the conference, but our final ranking doesn’t show the character this team played with every time they stepped on the court to compete for Millsaps. In the end, this is how their season should be measured.

Meet the Majors – Adam Tilly

Next up on Meet the Majors is junior Adam Tilly:

1. Where are you from and where did you go to high school?

I’m from Covington, Louisiana. I went to school at St. Paul’s where I lettered in tennis all four years and won state my Junior year. It’s a nice little town, with New Orleans only 40 minutes away, but it’s been getting bigger and bigger ever since Katrina.

2. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Chocolate, for sure. Maybe with some Butterfinger mixed in.

3. If you could have one job in the world, what would it be?

A market researcher. A company pays me to go around the world and dive right into different cultures to see what interests them, in order to find the best way to market to them. Pretty much just traveling around the world and hanging out and talking to people.

4. Tell us one of the best things about going to school at Millsaps?

The education/the professors. The professors here have really changed the way I think and view the world for the better. I feel like I have grown a lot since I’ve been here, and maybe that’s true for most people my age, but the professors have helped steer me in a good direction.

5. Name two hobbies you have?

Besides tennis? I really like to be outdoors so I would say hunting is a big one. My dad takes us out at least once a year to go duck hunting. Another hobby is the water. Whether it’s canoeing, tubing, skiing, fishing, or just sitting on the beach, the water is the place to be.

6. How did you first start playing tennis?

My friend, when I was 14 or 15 years old, was doing a daily tennis clinic and invited me to come. I was better than everyone else on my first day, so I kept going.

7. What do you think the biggest win the team has had so far this season?

Our win against University of Mobile was a big one. Everyone fought hard, and tried their best. Then it came down to Malte when the team score was 4-4, he was unaware of this, but won anyway. After the match, he comes up to me and says “so we lost 5-4?” I said “no man, your win put us up 5-4″ to which Malte responded by jumping into my arms, yelling and screaming. Pretty funny.

8. Would you rather bungee jump or sky dive or neither?

Sky dive.

9. What has been your favorite class at Millsaps?

Logic. It’s a philosophy class that teaches you the basics of formulating a valid argument. It pretty much sets up rules and parameters for how to think well and correctly.

10. What tennis player are you the biggest fan of right now?

Always have and always will be a fan of Djokovic.

5-4, The Magic Score

5-4. It’s as close as a college tennis match can be. A 5-4 match is like going into overtime in a basketball game or extra innings in baseball. The pressure is heightened and usually on just a few, specific individuals. In tennis, when you are the last player on court with the score tied at 4-4, you know it all comes down to you. Each swing of the racquet is a little more difficult and your legs seem to move a little slower than they did during the first set. It is easy to think that winning the one final match is what gives the team the victory, but like in all sports it is the actions of others before the finale who make the victorious moment possible.

The Majors had experienced 5-4 wins and losses earlier in the season, but this run of 5-4 victories started with the men back on April 12th against the University of Mobile. We knew this team would be tough because they had several scholarship athletes on their team. We were only able to get one doubles point, which came thanks to the #1 team of Malte and Tilly. Not having the lead after the doubles, we knew it would be an uphill battle to get four of the singles. The comeback started with an easy victory at #3 for Tilly. Charles followed up with a great come from behind win at #4. He lost a close first set but then went on to dominate sets 2 and 3, only losing one game total. With Charles’ win, we were down 3-4 with only two matches left. It would be up to David and Malte to come through under pressure. Like Charles, David lost a close first set. In the second, he settled down and started to impose his will on his opponent. After the second set went to David, he would have to win the third to keep us in the match. As the two players went back and forth David hit a huge forehand on match point that would land out of the reach of his opponent to tie the team match at 4-4. As the night settled in, all eyes turned to Malte at #1 for a winner take all third set. After not being able to capitalize on match points in the second set, the third set was just as much a mental test for Malte as it was a physical one. Malte passed this test with flying colors. On his sixth match point of the match Malte closed the net and hit an untouchable drop volley to clinch the comeback for the Majors.  Majors won 5-4.

Less than 24 hours later the women had their own chance to come from behind to taste victory against Spring Hill College. Like the men the day before, the women were down 2-1 after doubles. The Majors quickly took back the lead with wins from seniors, Elizabeth and Lauren. Spring Hill fought back to take a 4-3 lead in the match, but Callie would not let the lead last for long. She won her match at #2 by a score of 6-1,6-4 to tie the score at 4-4. Deena, playing on the exact same court Malte won the decisive match the night before, would have to equal his performance if the Majors were going to pull this one out. Deena had no problems in the first set, but in the second set she was pushed to a tie break. Her opponent played excellent and was able to get the match to a third and final set. With the start of the third set, the match had already pass the 90 minute mark on a warm, humid Friday afternoon. At 2-1, Deena slapped a forehand winner, but then fell to the ground with a cramp in her calf. The outcome looked bleak for Deena and the Majors, but like she has done all year, Deena would continue to battle. After re-hydrating, Deena ran off three straight games to give herself a 5-1 lead and closed it out one game later. Her teammates stormed the court after the final point as the tense, two hour match was finally over. Majors won 5-4.

Playing a team back to back matches is not done in college tennis very often, but for the men the opportunity presented itself against Meridian Community College. The great thing about college athletics is there is always someone different who steps up for the team when his or her teammates need it. Two weeks ago, it was the doubles pair of Beau Hinton and Misa Pjevac. They were the only duo to win their doubles match, leaving the Majors down 2-1 heading into the singles. As the singles matches went back and forth, it was Beau and Misa who came through once again for us. Malte and David lost heart breaking third sets at #1 and #2, and Tilly scored our first singles point with at win at #3. As Charles was in complete control at #4, everyone knew it would come down to Misa at #5 and Beau at #6. With a loud “Come On!” Misa gave the Majors their third point by winning an intense two set match, 6-4, 7-6. The pressure shifted to Beau as he was now in a third set match tie break. His match had been even all day, winning the first set 6-4 but then losing the second 5-7. In the race to 10 points Beau played with passion and maturity as he earned the team’s fourth point of the day, winning the tie break 10-6. By the time Beau was able to shake hands and get off the court, he only had enough time to watch Charles win his last point and complete the victory by the score of 6-1, 6-2. Majors won 5-4.

Less than a week later the Majors and Eagles were at it again, this time on the Majors’ Senior Day. This was the last home match for David and Beau, and it certainly was a memorable won. Unfortunately, Tilly was out of the line up due to an illness causing the Majors to be down 2-0 at the start of the match. After we lost at #1 and #2 doubles we were down 4-0. This meant every single guy had to win his singles match if we were going to win. It doesn’t happen often, but I’m sure you can guess how it turned out. Malte and David got revenge on their tough losses a week prior with victories at #1 and #2, but the Majors were still down 4-2. For David, it was one of his most impressive matches of the year and it could not have come on a more important day for him personally. Charles would be the next Major to win, moving his individual singles win streak to five matches. Misa, now playing in the four spot, had much less trouble than the week before and played extremely well to win 6-2, 6-0. The match was tied at 4-4, and all the pressure once again fell upon Beau. An athlete always remembers their last home game or match, and Beau knew this as he started the second set tie break. He won the first set with relative ease, 6-2, but the second had not been so simple. Both teams watched as Beau struck big forehand after big forehand, forcing his opponent into errors. Up 6-4, the Eagle’s shot sailed long and Beau had once again come through under pressure. Majors won 5-4.

After such an amazing match, one would think there was no way the women’s match against Meridian Community College could top it. I don’t know if the women topped it, but they certainly matched it in drama. The #3 team of Laura and Margaret had all the attention on them during the doubles, as they were our last hope for a doubles point. In what was the best tennis they played all season, they won 8-5 and gave us a chance in the singles. After losses at two of the singles positions, the Majors found themselves down 4-1 and facing defeat. Deena would start the comeback by beating her Norwegian opponent 6-2, 6-0. Laura continued it with her second victory of the day, winning 6-2, 6-1 at the #5 position. This meant, on Senior Day, the match would be decided by our two seniors, Lauren and Elizabeth, who were playing right next to each other. Lauren played a very intense, tight first set but was able to come out on top 6-4. As the second set started to heat up, you could see the intensity in Lauren’s eyes with the set tied at 5-5. The average length of the points in most of the second set was around 20 balls struck by each woman. It would be an understatement to say they played long points. On match point for Lauren, after what must have been at least a 50 ball rally, the ball landed in the doubles ally meaning Lauren had pulled out the victory. It was one of the most physically and emotionally grueling matches for Lauren, but her win now put all the momentum on the side of the Majors as there was one, single match left on court. Elizabeth had been in this position before, and she looked as calm as ever when she started to chip away at the lead her opponent had built. After losing the first set in a tie break, Elizabeth knew she was playing the right type of tennis that would lead her to a win. She knew if she could continue to play long points it would eventually allow her to come back in three sets, and that was exactly what she did. She won the second set 6-3, and in the third set she pushed her opponent into a state of frustration. The third set was never in doubt and Elizabeth had completed the comeback on Senior Day. Majors won 5-4.

I doubt these will be the last 5-4 matches the Majors will play this year. But it seems when it comes to the close, stressful contests, the Majors use a little bit of magic to come out on top. The SCAC tournament starts this Friday at Burns Park in Little Rock, AR. Check back in next week to hear how the Majors did.

Meet the Majors – Margaret Cosnahan

Next up on Meet the Majors is freshman, Margaret Cosnahan.

1. Where are you from and where did you go to high school?

I am from McComb, MS.  Most likely, you have never heard of it.  There, I spent my high school years at North Pike High school, home to the mighty Jaguars.

2. What is the best movie you have seen in the past year?

To be honest, I am not much of a movie buff.  I did recently see the movie Gran Torino, and I absolutely loved it.  It’s kind of a tear jerker, but I definitely recommend it.

3. Give us your favorite memory of the tennis season so far?

Hmmm… that is incredibly hard to narrow down.  However, I’d have to say that the memories I have from our Spring Break trip to Hilton Head, SC would definitely take the cake.  It just can’t get much better than being at the beach with beautiful weather, friends, and a week filled with tennis.  Of course, the main objective of the trip was playing tennis, but we managed to squeeze in some serious shopping, GREAT food, and some nice tans (the tennis tan lines are still there). NOT TO MENTION, we came home undefeated.  The Major ladies showed Hilton Head what was up.

4. Why did you choose Millsaps?

Well, there is more than one reason I chose Millsaps as my home away from home, and basically I already mentioned one of them.  At Millsaps I feel like I am part of a REALLY big family.  When you are walking around campus you only see familiar faces.  I knew that I wouldn’t be able to achieve those kind of personal relationships at larger school.  Millsaps feels like my second home.  Also, I knew that Millsaps would provide me with a wonderful education that would make me stand out among other college graduates.  Millsaps has yet to disappoint.

5. If you could only listen to one musical artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?

Oh gosh, I am not sure I can choose just one.  I’ll just pretend this question said two musical artists, and still it is hard for me to choose.  I would have to say that the Avett Brothers are one of my all time favorite bands.  I have seen them TWICE in concert and I loved every  minute of it.  And of course, to accompany the brothers, I would have to throw a little Tina Turner in there, because I heard it through the grapevine that she is nothing less than awesome.

6. Name your favorite restaurant.

My favorite restaurant as of now would probably be Sal & Mookie’s.  They have great pizza, great sandwiches, and GREAT shakes.  It has a fun atmosphere and acceptable prices for a college student like myself. P.S. Get the hummus and pita bread if that’s your thing. It is delish.

7. Would you rather vacation on the beach or in the mountains?

I’m going to have to go with the less popular answer of the mountains.  I love the snow and I usually prefer cold weather.  I know, it’s kind of a shocker.  Plus, I have always wanted to ski, but I have yet to have the chance.

8. What are your plans for the summer?

I don’t have any exciting plans for the summer as of yet.  I know I will be making some beach trips, even though I just said I preferred the mountains.  Mostly, I will probably be working and catching up with friends from home who I dearly miss.

9. Who is your favorite celebrity?

That’s tough, but I think I’d say that Robin Williams is my all time favorite celebrity. I remember growing up and thinking that he was the funniest guy in the world. Who couldn’t love the guy, or in this case woman, who was the star of Mrs. Doubtfire? Classic.

10. What is one thing you brought with you from home that you couldn’t live without?

I know forms of technology should never be the answer to this question, but let’s get real, I could not live without my macbook at college.  The possibilities with a macbook are truly endless.  It makes schoolwork so much easier, and it also makes it easier to get very distracted.  Oops.  Social networking gets the best of me sometimes.  You can thank my macbook for bringing you these fantastic answers to this questionnaire.

April Is Upon Us

We hope many of you enjoyed the Major Rundown show from a couple of weeks ago. One of the matches that was highlighted in the segment was our women’s win against Rhodes. The Millsaps women have not beaten Rhodes in over ten years, and you could tell it felt awesome to do it in front of all the fans who came out to watch. The following week the women defeated visiting East Texas Baptist University for their 7th straight win before falling to a very good UT-Tyler team. It would not take long for the women to get back on the winning track as they defeated another Texas team this past weekend, LeTourneau University. The victory gave the women’s team their 10th win of the season, something that has not been accomplished since 2007.

As you can tell, it has already been a memorable year for the women, but we have a lot of unfinished business ahead of us. We still have one more conference team (Oglethorpe) to play which will help decide our seeding in the conference tournament at the end of April. Then we play our in state rivals over at Mississippi College a few days later and then it’s on to the conference tournament in Little Rock. We are certainly happy to be where we are, but this is no time to rest on our accomplishments.

For the men, we talked at the beginning of the season about how we want to be playing our best in the month of April. The season is long and it’s important to be peaking at the right time. For us, the month of April started off with a big match against LeTourneau University. LeTourneau had already beaten a team we lost to earlier in the season, so when the Yellow Jackets came to Jackson last Friday we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. As always, the key would be the doubles. Beau and Misa played dominant tennis and never let up as they earned us our first point. #2 doubles could never really find their groove, but #1 doubles controlled the net all day and gave the Majors the 2-1 lead after doubles.

In the singles it was Misa and Beau who gave Millsaps the commanding lead as they were never pressured at all in the #5 and #6 spots. The pair only lost a total of three games between them. #1 through #4 would not be so easy, but the guys played intelligent, patient tennis to get the clean sweep in singles. Charles played his all court game to perfection, picking the best times to attack the net and frustrated his opponent throughout the match. After losing the first set, Tilly continued his excellent play this season by winning the second set and forcing the match to match tie break for the 3rd set. Tilly’s energy from the very first point is what won him the tie break as he rolled to 10 points, giving the Majors their 6th team point. All that was left was David and Malte. Malte’s opponent was a quick, feisty player but was no match for Malte’s shot making and net play. Malte ran his opponent side to side on the baseline, eventually wearing him down. In the end, he would prevail with a hard fought victory by the score of 6-4,7-5. David would also have his hands full, but after a relatively easy first set the second set turned into a battle. After being down most of the set, David hit enough big shots to force the set to 6-6. In the tie break, David found himself behind 6-1. Many players would accept that the set was over and would move onto the 3rd set 10 point tie break. Not David, and not this set. David continued to grind, one point at a time and before anyone realized it he was serving at 7-6. After a long cross court rally, the balled sailed long and David completed the singles sweep.

April is finally here and we have a lot of matches left to play. Our goal is to finish as high as we can in the conference and that means playing our best tennis come tournament time. We do not have an easy three weeks ahead of us, but nothing worth having comes easy. Be sure to check out our last two home matches of 2012 on Friday, April 13th and Friday, April 20th. On April 20th we will be honoring our seniors: Elizabeth Meyer, Lauren Williams, Beau Hinton, and David Bastian.

Meet the Majors – Beau Hinton

Next up on Meet the Majors is senior, Beau Hinton.

1. Where are you from and what high school did you attend?

I was born and raised in Austin, Texas. The summer before 8th grade, my family moved to a small town in the Texas Hill Country called Fredericksburg, Texas. I went to high school there at Fredericksburg High School.

2. What are you plans after graduation in May?

I am looking to go into advertising or consulting, I’m in the process of interviewing with several large firms in different cities. It’s looking like it’s going to be Austin or Chicago but only time will tell!

3. What is your greatest strength on the court?

I think my greatest strength on the court is the combination of my tenacity and my athleticism. I’m not the most technically sound out there but I usually am the most fit. I’m willing to run down a lot of balls and play “ugly” tennis when it’s necessary. Sure, it feels good to hit a big clean shot but it feels great to run down 10 balls in a rally and force your opponent to miss an easy overhead because he feels like the has to hit it perfectly or I’ll chase it down and it’ll be coming back over the net.

4. Name your favorite class you have taken during your four years at Millsaps?

My favorite class I’ve taken here at Millsaps is “Innovation” with Penelope Prenshaw. It was the first course required for my entrepreneurial studies concentration and was a great course that incorporated my creative interests with the business foundation I’ve built at the Else School during my time here at Millsaps.

5. What do you like to do in your free time?

Unfortunately, I haven’t had a lot of free time this past year due to the rigorous life of a Millsaps Senior with comprehensive exams, interning, and being a college athlete BUT when I do catch some free time, I enjoy lifting weights, running, swimming, anything active really. I also like watching TV (I have a ton of shows that I’m hooked on), listening to music, and spending an evening out on the down for dinner and drinks with friends.

6. Tell us your top three musicians or bands?

I enjoy a plethora of music genres. I am notorious amongst the team for my “fresh off the european charts” club mixes that we often practice to haha. I think the upbeat tempo is conducive to high energy at practice. That sort of stuff is great for practice and working out but when I’m just relaxing, I like to mix it up. At the moment, I’d say my three favorites are:

-Marina and the Diamonds

-Kimbra

-Lykke Li

7. How did you first start playing tennis?

I first started playing tennis when I moved to Fredericksburg. Prior to tennis, Basketball was my big sport but I also played football and ran track. After track season was over, I had a lot of free time on my hands and I saw a flyer at school for tennis tryouts. I decided to give it a shot and I haven’t looked back since.

8. What have you enjoyed most about going to Millsaps?

I’ve really enjoyed the well-rounded liberal arts experience and the high level of education. It’s also been interesting to experience a place that is culturally a lot different than what I grew up with. Mississippi isn’t too terribly far from Texas but it definitely has a lot of unique quarks and differences from Austin. I’d say the combination of those two factors have made for a great college experience.

9. Do you like creamy or crunchy peanut butter?

Both. I LOVE peanut butter. Sometimes I just eat it with a spoon and a glass of milk straight out of the jar… But if I could only pick one, I’d have to go with creamy… blends better into a protein shake

10. Do you have a favorite TV show?

I have so many favorite TV shows, but if I had to pick one ABC’s “Revenge” is holding down the top spot right now.

The Major Rundown

This year, the Millsaps Athletic Department decided to start a weekly TV show that would air on a local Jackson station as well as be posted on our website. Each week a different sport would be featured along with scores and recaps of all the Majors in action. This past week was the tennis program’s turn to be featured. Here is the link to the show:

If you are wanting to cut straight to when tennis is being covered, you will want to start around the 6:30 mark. Also, it was great to see the parents, family, and friends who came to the matches the past two weekends. It helped create an awesome atmosphere and we hope you enjoyed cheering on the Majors. The men and women both have home matches this Friday afternoon against LeTourneau University if you want to catch us in action again.