The Martlet

The UVic tennis club hosted its sixth annual UVic Invitational Tennis Tournament Feb. 4 and 5. The club, with upwards of 80 members, sent 16 of its best to compete against visiting Canadian and American universities.

The club takes pride in how its tournament differs from most others held across the province. While most competitions focus on individual prowess, the UVic invitational has a more team-oriented atmosphere.

“There’s definitely a focus on the social and team aspects,” says team president Laura Granger. “Each team features between four to eight players. The team competes in five different matches [men’s/women’s singles, men’s/women’s doubles, mixed doubles]. However, the team tallies their points by how many games they win instead of matches, as most other tournaments do. The point is to not focus on one player or one match. You have to rely on everyone on your team, not just one player.”

The tournament is starting to attract the attention of schools across the border thanks to its unique style.

“Most schools that we invite to our tournament have been there before,” says Granger. “But we had one new school come, Washington State University. They heard about our tournament and their coach contacted me, wanting to come.”

UVic fielded two teams of eight players in this year’s tournament. Each team was coached separately by Granger or by third-year club veteran Jack Calder.

Unfortunately, neither team was able to defeat the powerhouse group from the University of Alberta, who carries a stellar reputation as one of the top tennis programs in the country. Nonetheless, Calder says he was impressed by how well UVic played.

“We were able to calm our nerves down and just play tennis,” Calder explains. “I was really happy with everyone being able to just play their own game and not get too anxious about playing in a tournament. We definitely won more games than I expected.”

After seeing how well the team played in the tournament against talented opposition, Calder is confident that the team has what it takes to accomplish its ultimate goal of making it to the national championships.

“National qualifiers are in March and I think we will be ready by then,” says Calder. We haven’t been able to make it the past two years I have been here, but it’s quite an experience. In the summer, after fundraising, we would get to go to the tournament in Toronto. We would also get to watch the Rogers Cup, as well as play on the same courts as the pros do. That’s really what our whole team is trying to work towards.”