First, whether or not her game translated to the collegiate level. Her recruitment had been handled by the former assistant coach, so Colorado State head coach Mai-Ly Tran had never seen Logan Voeks play. Toss in the academic schedule with a move across the country from Charleston, S.C., and Voeks (rhymes with cakes) had a lot on her plate.
Tennis has been an escape for the freshman.
“It’s been an adjustment. The team is great, super supportive,” Voeks said at the end of the first day of the Jon Messick Invitational on Friday at the CSU Tennis Complex. “They’ve definitely pulled me up from some of the lows I’ve had. It’s been amazing to be in a team environment.
“This has been a really good escape, especially from handling the fact I’m mixing both academics and athletics. It’s been nice to show up in such a supportive environment. Everyone has fun, everyone laughs. It’s great.”
Fun is easier when the team wins six of seven matches on the day. Voeks, Sarah Weekley and Zara Lennon won singles matches to advance in the bracket (Luana Avelar had a bye), while Weekley and Lennon won their two doubles matches to advance; Avelar and Voeks dropped a pair in doubles, one a side match.
“As much as you play, there’s a bit of nerves on the first day. I think that’s what we’re trying to prepare for is playing our tennis,” Tran said. “I think we struggled a little bit with playing our tennis at the beginning of the day, but I think we worked through it. It gets better as you get through the weekend.”
And better as you move through a career.
Voeks could feel a difference stepping on the court Friday as opposed to her first collegiate match two weeks ago at Air Force. She felt calmer, more relaxed. Having fans and teammates cheering for her helped. It puts the mind at ease, and Tran could sense it in her newcomer.
“I think she seemed much calmer today. She has some matches under her belt and has probably worked through some nerves from the last tournament,” Tran said. “We’re still learning more about her game and what she’s capable of and how she competes.
“I’m super excited for what she has to offer this team. Especially having a young player who can be the future of the program. It’s a great position to be in with a team with a lot of veterans and learn the culture we have built here. She has so much potential, and we’ve gotten a lot of compliments about her game.”
Winning matches at Air Force helped, and she cruised on Friday with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Metro State’s Courtenay Leonard in the Orange draw.
She was down early, bur rallied back strong in short order, moving into the quarterfinal round with will be played tomorrow after doubles play. Tournament action begins at 9 a.m. With each victory, she gains a bit more confidence, which helps when factoring in the pressures of performing for a team are foreign to her.
“It’s definitely a boost. It shows me where my game is compared to where I thought it might be coming into this,” Voeks said. “I think the team environment and the yelling ‘come on’s’ for each other across court helps. I didn’t play high school tennis, so that was a super fun difference. Playing for a team versus playing for yourself is so much different. I definitely enjoy it more. There are definitely more pressures to it, but I am adjusting.
“I feel like I played really aggressive; I got to the net a lot, and my serve worked for me. That’s always fun.”
All the singles wins came in straight sets, with both Lennon and Weekley in the Gold bracket. Lennon won 6-1, 6-0 over Emily Hafner of South Dakota, while Weekley came through 6-4, 6-0 over Amanda de Oliveira of South Dakota.
In the doubles Gold bracket, Lennon and Weekley posted a 6-4 win over South Dakota’s Paige Alter and de Olivera, a team which topped Avelar and Voeks 6-2 in a side match. Lennon and Weekley tuned up with a win over Leonard and Hanna Haber of Metro State, 6-2. In the Green bracket, Avelar and Voeks fell 6-4 to Indya Nespor and Yangpingan Li of Weber State.
Saturday’s play will open with doubles, including the semifinal matches in the two brackets. Singles will work through the quarterfinals and semis, with consolation matches being played in both.
Across the country on Saturday, Colorado State will have four players opening the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, N.C. The Rams will have two doubles teams plays, Radka Buzkova and Victoria Erechtchenko, as well as Sarka Richterova and Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya.
Source : csurams.com
