ELON, N.C. – With the weekend marking
Lisa Kranec and
Heidi Bulger's collegiate debuts, the freshmen duo impressed at the Jimmy Powell Invitational.
Bulger held an impressive 3-0 record in singles and secured one doubles win over the weekend. Kranec racked up two singles and three doubles victories. The first years combined for nine of the Elon University women's tennis team's 20 wins throughout Friday and Saturday.
With the invitational being the first of five fall events that the Phoenix are slated to play in, Kranec said the team saw the weekend as an opportunity to sharpen their game, looking ahead even to the spring season.
"The biggest mindset for us here is just to get our game down," Kranec said. "We have a lot of stuff that we're working on and trying to improve to have locked in for spring. I think the big thing for Fall is to get everyone together, clicking as a team and putting our best foot forward every match."
Despite it being the duo's first time ever playing in a collegiate tennis match, Kranec and Bulger both felt empowered by their teammates and coaching staff. The encouragement from the sidelines and other courts effectively quieted any first-time jitters the two might have experienced otherwise.
"The team is such a huge support," Kranec said. "[Head] coach [Elizabeth] Anderson and coach Ashe [Ray], they're so supportive, they just keep coming back with good advice, good ways to stay in it, and keep grinding until the nerves settle."
"The team is really helpful, they were super positive and encouraging," Bulger added. "Win or lose points, they were always there, cheering you on which I definitely think really helped."
Though this was just the first of many matches to come, Kranec said she thinks the tight-knit culture the group has established will allow them to continue to improve for the spring, conference play and even the CAA Championship.
"I feel like we've grown really, really close as a team," Kranec said. "We spend a lot of time together, practicing, training."
"That shows up when we're on the court, cheering each other on, I think you can see it in our vibes out there," Kranec added.
The Invitational was the first of five events slated for the Phoenix this fall and the first of two events hosted by Elon at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center. After experiencing the environment for her first true home match, Bulger is already excited to be back at the JPTC for the Elon Invitational scheduled for Oct. 4 and 5.
"It's a great facility, the courts are awesome, everyone watching was very supportive," Bulger said.
"It was really fun to have so many people cheering for [us] and the energy was really great," Bulger added. "I'm looking forward to the next tournament in a few weeks."
'Rising Phoenix' is a 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 X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
--ELON--
