University of Minnesota Athletics
Women's Tennis Season Blog: Pauline Gilbert
2/27/2012 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Feb. 27, 2012
Updated Season Stats | Bio Page: Pauline Gilbert | Gopher Women's Tennis Facebook Page
Friday 2/24: Minnesota 6, Missouri 1
Hey all!
After a successful week end in North Carolina last week, it felt really good to come back to Minnesota and play at home with the support of the entire team, especially since we had a total of three matches scheduled: Missouri, Virginia Tech, and Carleton. In addition to this busy schedule, we had a recruit in town and it was Ty's birthday, so we got him enough sweets to celebrate!
We have been really consistent this weekend in the way we compete and we keep embracing our values. The first highlight of the weekend was our improvement on doubles. We spent a lot of time last week working on our double combinations and we were able to apply it this weekend, which let us win the doubles point throughout the three matches: it felt great!
Also, playing home is such a unique experience because we can always count on the support of our fans and families! A big thank you to the Palen, Renault, Thomson, Courter, Kantar, and Taney families. Every time we play at home, they are always here to watch and support us, coming with delicious goodies they baked for after our matches! As Julia mentioned last week, our team LOVES food, so cupcakes, cookies, and fruits are ALWAYS appreciated!
The last (but not least) highlight of the weekend was Magda's comeback. After a severe injury 11 weeks ago, she was back on the court on Friday night partnered with Tash, and those two won in doubles to get the doubles point. Many of us, right after her injury, could not even imagine her playing as a Gopher anymore, and there she was, running and fighting so hard for EVERY SINGLE ball! Not only did she come back to competing again, but she is now even better, smarter, and stronger than she was before. Her perseverance and hard work is such a great example for our entire team and we could not have asked for a better senior this year!
We all worked so hard since the beginning of September and, even though a lot of us struggled during the fall, we kept working on our team values and this hard work is paying off right now. Everyone works so hard every day and we embrace more and more our team values. And when we compete every weekend, we keep building on and on. We are all becoming smarter and stronger on and off the court and most important of all, we have become a tough and unified team!
Every day, I realize how lucky I am to be part of this group of wonderful people. All the girls are amazing and they inspire me every day. The coaching staff is also amazing and they really do a really good job with supporting us and helping us in any way they can. Whenever we are in need, they are always ready to work with us in the consistent learning process. Of course, the love of the game and competition brought us together and our tennis experience is great, but the human part of it is unbelievable! In less than a year, I have lived so many unforgettable moments and I am really excited for the remaining part of the season.
Next week is our long-waited battle of the border against Wisconsin. We are so ready to keep up our level of competitiveness so I have only one thing left to say: "Badgers, bring it!"
Thank you all for your support!
GO GOPHERS!
Players Mentioned
