An Ode to the Slug Life

This is a longwinded recap of UCSC’s 5-4 win over Whittier this past weekend. Basically what happened in the match was the Team of Destiny came up huge, recovering from a late break at #2 doubles to eventually win in an epic tiebreaker, to give Cruz a 2-1 lead after doubles. Then, the Earlham transfer Kyle Richter pulled through in a third-setter to get the clinch.

Last week, I took some time away from the regular rigamarole to write about the importance of coaching in building a DIII tennis program. It turns out that what was rustling my jimmies was more of a misunderstanding than a genuine disagreement, but it was still a nice conversation starter. On Sunday, another important aspect of a tennis program’s success was on full display in Santa Cruz, California, and that’s team culture.

Team culture does get a lot of air time on this site, so there’s no need to define it. Obviously, a coach plays a huge part in creating the team culture, but the captains of the team are the ones who refine it. In that way, a single player can have a lasting impact on a team for years to come by instilling a better work ethic, a little more fight, or a greater sense of confidence. In essence, it’s up to the coach to lay the foundations for the team culture, but it’s up to the players to iron out the rough points. Recently, the most drastic captain-driven change I witnessed was at Pomona-Pitzer last year. In the Tommy Meyer era, the Hens were calm and confident, but with Sabel and Allinson at the helm, they were extremely fiery. Both temperaments suited their respective teams perfectly at the time, and I’ll be interested to see whether or not the feistiness lasts under the new coach, but I digress.

Hardly anywhere is the importance team culture more evident than at Santa Cruz these days. Those players have every reason to throw in the towel and go through the motions for the rest of their careers. Some teammates quit on them, they have no coaching autonomy, and it’s obvious that their own administration views them with something between apathy and contempt. Instead, they refused to be the first UCSC team to drop out of the national rankings. They worked hard all offseason, and, if they were anything like Santa Cruz teams of the past, they worked with a goal in mind. They saw themselves winning big matches, and that attitude has allowed them to turn a ragtag group of castaways into a legitimate top 25 team. Sunday’s win over Whittier is a testament to the team culture Hansen and Parmelly spent decades building, and, more importantly right now, the incredible resiliency this year’s team captains have shown.

Kudos to the upperclassmen leaders – Scandalis, Littlejohn, and Goetz. No disrespect to Coach Nazario (who is clearly doing an excellent job), but they are the ones who deserve the credit for the Slugs’ incredible improvement between the fall tournament and now. Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, this team will finish in the national rankings, which is something to be immensely proud of. Just to recap, this team is going to finish the season ranked ahead of this team.

Here’s to the Slug Life.

Good luck in Walla Walla.