University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Fall Season Recap: Catrina Thompson
12/14/2018 4:06:00 PM | Tennis
In her first year donning the Maroon and Gold, head coach Catrina Thompson and assistant coach Brian Ward directed the Gophers to a winning record and an unprecedented inaugural season. Coming into her second year as head coach of the University of Minnesota women's tennis team, Thompson is looking forward to building on the previous record-setting success from her first season at the helm. Gopher Sports took the time to sit down with Thompson to discuss the recently completed Fall season before heading into the rigorous Spring schedule.
GS: This is your second year holding the reigns of Gopher women's tennis, what changes have you noticed within yourself throughout this time as head coach?
CT: The biggest change I have noticed in year two is being more familiar with my team, the facility, our administration and other aspects of the program. I feel fortunate to be at Minnesota and a part of the Gopher family.
GS: Because of injuries to key players in the Fall, you had a lot of the younger girls or newcomers step up late in the season, what does having that depth on the roster mean to the program?
CT: Successful teams must have good players and enough depth considering that injuries can occur during the season. Our goal is to recruit the best tennis players who can fit in well with the culture of our team. We emphasize stretching and conditioning to minimize injuries, but it is important to have enough depth to maintain a full lineup.
GS: Are there any moments during the Fall season that stood out to you as a coach?
CT: The Fall is always our opportunity to see what we need to work on and improve to get ready for the main part of our season in the Spring. One of the biggest things the Fall gives us is the opportunity to get more matches in and compete against other top players. We usually play 3-4 tournaments in the Fall and try to play teams from different conferences. It was also a good opportunity to see how the two new members of our team compete.
GS: Caitlyn Merzbacher and Annemarie Emme were named the captains for this year, what went into the decision and what about their leadership stood out to you?
CT: Some programs elect to only have seniors as captains regardless of their leadership ability. I wanted to expand the opportunity to all our players this year and to have input from the players as well as our coaching staff. So, this year we gave the players ballots to determine which fellow teammates would best lead our team and be respected by the other players. After the ballots were received - myself and my assistant coach made the final decision, but we were both in agreement with the choices and therefore Annemarie and Caitlyn were selected as our captains this season. I look forward to seeing them both lead the team this Spring.
GS: Going into the Spring season, what are some goals or objectives that the team is looking towards?
CT: One of the biggest things I have been talking about as a team is our consistency. We want to continue to get better with each match we play, each practice we have and keep learning and growing so we can peak at the right time and be ready to go come January 26th when we head out to UCLA for our first competition of the Spring. We also need to keep healthy since we lost a couple key players. Our Spring season is a grind and if we can stay healthy and consistent as a team we will give ourselves good opportunities.
GS: This team set a Baseline Tennis Center record for home-wins in a season last year. You end the regular season this year with a five-match home streak, how does the comfort of being home benefit this program late in the year?
CT: We feel very fortunate to have one of the best facilities in the country in the Baseline Tennis Center. So, anytime we play at home we want to protect our house and put on a show for our fans. Our girls feel very comfortable the way our courts play at home and you always feel a little advantage getting to sleep in your own bed the night before a match. We end the season with some tough, Big Ten opponents at home, but the great thing about being in a power five conference is it makes you match tough because every opponent or match you play is going to be a battle. We always look forward to the competition and try to rise to the occasion every time we host a team at Baseline. We want to end the regular season on a high note, especially for Senior Day, given we have four seniors this year.
GS: What about Minnesota makes it so special to coach here?
CT: In my opinion, one of the many things that makes Minnesota so special is the people you get to work with day in and day out and who you spend your time around on a daily basis. From administration, our players, our support staff and our dedicated fans - the support you feel is something incredibly special here at the University of Minnesota.