The 2019-20 UBC TSC Women’s Tennis Team.
The 2019-20 season was one for the books for the UBC TSC Women’s Tennis Team! Although unfortunately cut slightly short by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the program was fortunate to complete the majority of its scheduled events. The year was filled with successful fundraising, community outreach, nail-biting competitions, and several exciting accolades for the Thunderbirds!
Fundraising and Community Outreach
The UBC TSC Women’s Tennis Team began the year by renewing their partnership with local business Rackets and Runners for the second consecutive year. In October, along with the UBC TSC Men’s Tennis Team, the Thunderbirds hosted the fourth annual and most successful UBC TSC Tennis Mixer Fundraiser to date, bringing in over 110 guests! In other fundraising efforts, the team hosted two social bar nights in the Fall and Spring and worked at the Thunderbird Arena Kidzbop concert. In total, the program raised over $3500, which went towards court costs, equipment, and travel to Victoria, Seattle, and Edmonton for the Western Canadian Championships. The Thunderbirds also continued their community outreach efforts, hosting their annual Tennis BC Juniors Exhibition match and participating in the TSC Spin-a-thon to raise funds for Right to Play.
Jennie Jackson, Abigail Heninger and Lily Eisler at the UBC TSC Tennis Mixer.
Competition
The team also excelled on the court with the strongest lineup yet with three rookies adding to the top eight competitive lineup. Overall, the Thunderbirds finished their season with a 4-3 record:
5-1 W vs. UofC Dinos, November
1-6 L vs. UofA Pandas, November
6-1 W vs. SFU Dogs, BC Regionals, January
7-0 W vs. UVIC Vikes, BC Regionals, January
0-7 L vs. Seattle U. Redhawks, February
4-3 W vs. Whitman Blues, February
2-5 L vs. UofA Pandas, Western Canadian Championships, March
Jessica Silva and Madison Fan during a doubles match.
Awards and Graduating Players
The Thunderbirds also received numerous accolades throughout the season. In February, rookie Sofia Kresta was recognized as TSC’s Athlete of the Month. Just this month, the Women’s Tennis Team swept up, receiving multiple End of Year TSC recognition awards for the 2019-20 season! The team’s Sportsmanship Award was awarded to Isabel Evans. The TSC Student Leader of the Year Award was captured by the team’s captain, Jessica Silva, for the second time in her career as Club Lead, and the Women’s Tennis Team took home both the TSC Exec Team of the Year Award and the TSC Team of the Year Award!
The team is sad to see graduating players Nikki Abbott, Luna Crawford, Lily Eisler, Helena Son, and exchange student Sayaka Okuda leave the team but congratulates them on their accomplishments and wishes them the best in their next chapters!
2019-20 Graduating Players.
What’s Next!
Although the courts are now closed indefinitely, the Thunderbirds will continue to train using the resources they have, so that they can come back stronger and ready for the 2020-21 season. The Thunderbirds will officially return in September with tryouts for the 2020-21 season. If you are interested in joining the UBC TSC Women’s Tennis Team, look out for tryout information released in early August. And if you are interested in supporting the team, please email them at womenstennis.sc@ubc.ca.
To keep up with the latest, check out the team social media accounts below!