ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women's tennis team prides itself on being the loudest in the CAA. Nobody takes that more to heart than freshman
Simone Bergeron.
Early this season while sidelined with an injury, Bergeron has made her presence felt from the stands by vigorously cheering on her teammates. However, Bergeron finally had the chance to channel that energy on the court for the Phoenix this weekend.
Bergeron made her dual-match debut for the Phoenix on Friday in doubles against South Carolina State, as she paired with fellow freshman Ella Suk at the No. 3 spot. The duo rolled to a 6-1 victory filled with plenty of electric celebrations and encouragement for their teammates competing by their side.
"I was so happy to be back," Bergeron said. "It was so much fun. Playing with Ella is an unreal experience. Nobody matches my energy better."
After a successful first outing for the tandem on Friday, they got another chance to play together against Norfolk State on Saturday. The freshmen were again dominant – and vocal – at the No. 3 position, as they did not drop a game in a 6-0 victory.
While Bergeron has been itching to get back on the court, she's not the only one that has been anticipating her return to competition.
"I've definitely been really impatient waiting for her to get cleared," Suk laughed. "It was super exciting being on the court with her. The emotions were crazy. We were so excited and we were so hyped up."
Although this was the first time this spring Bergeron and Suk could team up in doubles, the instant chemistry on the court between the two freshmen was not a surprise for either player.
"Ella and I spend so much time together off court anyways, so on court, everything just falls in line and all the pieces click together," Bergeron said.
"I think it's like a comfort thing," Suk added. "Like she said, we spend every second of the day off the court together, so being able to play on the court too is so easy and it doesn't feel like work. It just clicks."
The freshmen always bring great energy to the courts and both said they were especially excited to finally play at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center this weekend and kick off a season-long six-match homestand.
"We love being home," Suk said. "No other courts feel as comfortable as home does. It was such a good weekend."
"We want to thank everyone who came out and watched us," Bergeron added. "It's really great to see everyone come out and support us."
'Rising Phoenix' is a new student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on Twitter (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Jacob Kisamore at jkisamore@elon.edu.
--ELON–
