Forehand, backhand, volley, point, match. These are just a few words that come to mind when tennis season bounces around. This year there are many reasons for tennis to be excited for the upcoming season in the CCIW. Coach Dustin Forman is now the head coach for both the men and women’s tennis teams. Millikin University added a men’s tennis team this year and the outlook is looking good for the new program and the women’s team as well.
According to Coach Forman, “The pre-season has gone very well. Both teams have been working really hard on the court and in the classroom.” The players are bringing numerous aspects of skills and characteristics to the tennis program and for the men’s team, Coach Forman mentioned that, “The men’s team is made up of a great group of young men that will represent Millikin in a positive way. We can never have enough of these types of student-athletes at Millikin.” Not only are the men a great group of student-athletes, but the men “are bringing a wealth of high school experience and tournament experience. Some of our players have played in the IHSA state tournament with Taylor Nave playing in it every year during his high school career.”
With the men bringing a lot of experience and some state skill, there are going to be players to keep an eye on. As the season progresses, two players to keep an eye on is Taylor Nave and Paige Bequette. Coach Forman believes that, “Both players will have an opportunity to compete for a place on the CCIW All-Conference Team.”
For the program in general, one of their goals is to finish in the top 4 of conference teams in the CCIW, which would qualify the program for the CCIW Championship. Coach Forman would also like to “have a few players earn a spot on the CCIW All-Conference Team. However, the most important thing for us is to continue putting in the hard work, to keep getting better, and trying to improve each day in practice.” On the other hand, off the court, Coach Forman would like to “have all my players earn CCIW Academic All Conference Honors and become the model of what a student-athlete at Millikin should be.” As the tennis program starts off with both the men and women’s, keep an eye out for the BIG BLUE men and women to make a big impact.