April 10, 2015
By Sean Donnelly, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's tennis team's five-match winning streak is not by accident.
After starting their season 2-8, the team has clicked and caught fire, winning seven of its past eight matches.
"This year's team is definitely a cohesive group that tries to push each other on a daily basis, whether in practice or supporting each other in close matches," said head coach Chris Cagle. "They're excited. This year's team learned from early matches and have the experience. Match-toughness has paid off for us recently. We're a tough matchup for anybody."
The entire team is excited about the direction this season is heading. Close matches have been used as fuel, and mistakes have been corrected. Now that the season is in full swing, the Nittany Lions' hard work has finally started to reflect in their record.
Jacqueline Zuhse has been on a hot streak, winning against St. Bonaventure during her most recent outing in straight sets, picking up her fifth win in the past six matches.
"We had a rough start in the beginning, but we were able to learn from those matches," said Zuhse. "We took what we needed from those matches and built upon that. Every day we work to get stronger, faster and better."
In a way, the early heartbreak was exactly what the team needed. Now that the team has gone through some tough matches together, the bond and desire to win is stronger than ever.
"A couple girls lost their voice in the last match because they were cheering so much," said Zuhse. "We're a close-knit group of girls. I know if I'm playing on a court next to someone, I can look over to that person and they'll push me to be even better. "
The year-long camaraderie and support the team has provided for one another hasn't just been evident in the record. Their energy can even be felt during practice.
"We're at practices constantly cheering," said Zuhse. "Everyone gets to practice knowing we're going to have to give 100 percent and they do exactly that. We've worked really hard."
The biggest wins of the season thus far were back-to-back victories against No. 43 Indiana and No. 28 Purdue. The Nittany Lions are now 5-2 in Big Ten play, and 6-1 playing at home. They are tied for third in conference play with Minnesota and Northwestern.
For Devan McCluskey, it's been all about the team stepping out on the court and believing they can beat anybody.
"When we beat them they were both really big wins for us," said McCluskey. "Everyone who stepped on the court was focused."
Confident in their abilities going forward, the Nittany Lions are looking to string together a few more wins with the Big Ten Championships in sight.
"We're going to work to get a little better in a few spots," said coach Cagle. "We'll keep working on our doubles-game, making sure we're sharp in singles and that we're ready to go."
The Nittany Lions are playing tennis at a very high level. Following road matches at Nebraska and Iowa this weekend, the Lions will be hosting Michigan State and No. 14 Michigan for their last two matches of the regular season.
"Women's tennis is on the up," said McCluskey. "We're an intense, feisty team and we're going to work hard each match and leave it all out there. We're stepping out and we want to win. We're going to get gritty and it's going to be a battle for us."