Tried and Tested, Tennis at AU

Colleen Lloyd stands at the American University Tennis Courts

by Maria Russinovich

Club Tennis at American University has never been the flashiest of sports. The players make their way down to the outdoor tennis courts every day, and while most students will never see the magic that happens, the players feel it.

The team this year has felt different. Through stronger teamwork and consistent sportsmanship, the team has become the most successful it has been in recent memory. While the team is the strongest it’s been in nearly half a decade, the tennis program at AU has been through thick and thin and nearly stopped existing entirely.

American University joined the Patriot League as a full member in 2001. Sports success started early for AU, with many of their teams being successful early on. An integral part of American’s Division I level sports was the tennis team, with student-athletes who had a passion for both their sport, and their education. A fresh resurfacing of the courts in 2000, a group of incredibly dedicated students, and guidance under men’s head coach Martin Blackman -- a former top 200 ranked USTA player -- meant early success for the team. Suddenly, in the spring of 2005, despite having one of their best seasons yet, the American University tennis team was told to pack up their bags one last time. The varsity program was being cut. This decision by the Athletics Department would have repercussions for years to come but don’t worry, there’s a happy ending.

Martin Blackman was brought to AU in 1994, and during his time here was named conference Coach of the Year three times, led the Eagles to three conference titles, brought the team to two NCAA Tournament appearances, and helped the men’s team earn their first-ever national ranking. Martin left AU in 2004 and the team moved into the hands of former player Kyle Bailey. Bailey had been a player when Martin was head coach, graduated from AU in 2003, and became assistant coach to Blackman quickly after. When Blackman left his position on the team, Bailey wanted to bring the same passion that Blackman had instilled in the team. From 2004 to 2006 Bailey was able to bring the Eagles to an overall 42-18 record, and a 13-3 record within Patriot League competition. Under Bailey’s guidance, the men’s team also won the league regular-season title in his first year as head coach.

This whirlwind of success was abruptly brought to a halt in the Spring of 2005 when Bailey received news from the American University Athletic Department that three teams were being cut from the Division I athletics program, including tennis. The program was going to be cut at the end of the academic year.

In an explanation emailed to The Rival American on the decision to cut tennis, Senior Associate Athletics Director Athena Argyopoulos wrote that the university and it’s leadership looked at the programs of the time and wanted to, “decide how to use our resources most effectively to be as competitive as possible while meeting certain fiscal responsibilities.”

Bailey stated that he was blindsided by the decision and immediately began to fight to keep the program alive. He, along with leadership from the Varsity Golf team, another team which was cut, managed to keep the program alive for one more year to allow for students to figure out their plans for the future. During a phone interview, Bailey said as head coach he was less worried about the program and more about the students on the team, as transfer deadlines had already passed when the news broke, and scholarships were up in the air.

Bailey worked tirelessly the next year to find new “homes” for the students who still wished to play tennis in college, and come springtime, approximately half of the team had either transferred to new schools or graduated.

In a news bulletin posted in 2005 regarding the cut programs, American University’s athletic department stated, “student-athletes on the three teams affected will be allowed to transfer from AU into schools that field these teams and sponsor intercollegiate play. If these scholarship student-athletes choose to remain at AU, their scholarships will be honored.”

Argyopolous emphasized that the decision was a very hard one for the department, and said they “tried to be cognizant of the most tolerable impact as possible on the least number of student-athletes as possible, as both the men’s and women’s tennis roster only carried 9 student-athletes, and golf was comparable.” The decision to cut these programs allowed the athletics department to better invest a recently received $7.5 million fundraising effort towards athletic programs and facilities improvement.

During an interview with the Rival American, Bailey made it very clear that despite a year of limbo for the team, program, and himself, he was very grateful for what came of the tough time. While the varsity tennis program was officially cut in 2006, Bailey said he still keeps in very close touch with many members of the 2005-2006 season men’s team. Without working with the passionate and driven athletes at American as an Assistant and Head Coach, Bailey believed he would not have found his passion for working with collegiate tennis teams and could have ended up with a very different life. Bailey spoke fondly of the team of 2005-2006 and mentioned how they still have reunions, have the same passion for each other and everything they went through and believed they were a “special group who worked hard and had a good run together.”

When looking back on his time at American, Bailey said he was “grateful he had the experience” and while he still has “bittersweet feelings” he “ultimately still care[s] a lot about the program, and the legacy it [left] behind.”

During our call, Bailey seemed to almost get lost in the nostalgia of the memories he made with the team he coached. He added that in a crazy way that time had positively impacted his life, and that the bonds made through the ending of the team was “a cool thing that sort of happened there, and connected a lot of people.

This sense of comradery between the players of the 2005-2006 season has carried onto the teams of today and the spirit of tennis at American. The Rival spoke to members of the Club Tennis team about their experiences on the team, and this same sense of hope, passion, and pride that Bailey’s team harbored can be seen in the players today.

When looking back on her time with the team, President Olivia Curcio ‘20 says, “over the past 4 years that [she’s] been here, the team has been consistently strong and [she’s] excited for what will happen in the future.”

Men’s Tennis Captain Michael Morris ‘20 states the members of the team today, “have shown both how pleasant they are on and off the court and how resilient they are; coping with the pressure of debuting on the club tennis scene.”

Women’s Tennis Captain Lili Izadi ’21 said she sees a lot of hope for the team and believes that “the team we have this year is probably one of the best teams, but definitely one of the best teams since [she’s] been here.”

Despite the success of the team this year, there are still many issues that the club team faces daily, with the largest hurdle being the sheer lack of upkeep for the courts. One example of this equipment failure was a completely unusable net on one of the courts. While AU eventually replaced the net, Curcio was the player who semi-fixed so the tennis team could continue using the full facility during tryouts.

When asked about how she fixed the net, Curcio stated that she was “unhappy but unsurprised that maintenance was taking so long to come fix the nets” and had to “pull the strings tight enough that we could at least pretend they were the right height.”

Former President Jake Dunklin  ‘20 stated he would like to see a D1 tennis team, “because then the university would HAVE to maintain the courts, which are currently the most neglected tennis courts [he’s] ever seen.”

Flynn backs up Dunklin’s statement by noting that “although AU tries to maintain the courts to the best of their ability, given that our school lacks an official team there is less focus on the courts because they are not a varsity playing surface.”

Dunklin brings up an important point, as a team's success can only be as high as the players and tools given to them. The last recorded resurfacing of the tennis courts was in 2000, and traditionally tennis courts are resurfaced every four to eight years, especially if they are outside like AU's are.

According to Dunklin during the Spring 2019 semester “facilities told… the club sports director that the courts were being resurfaced… but when [Jake] went down [to the courts he] just saw three guys power washing the courts, and it turns out that’s all they did.” Curcio joined Dunklin’s sentiment by stating she understands facilities have a very busy job, “but just because we’re a club sport doesn’t mean we get last priority on repairs.”

There is a lot of cosmetic work to be done to make club tennis’s facilities the best they can be, but the poorly kept courts and old tennis balls do not hinder the spirit and passion which the club team has for each other and the sport.

Much like the challenging time that Bailey’s team faced, these hardships bring the team closer together, and only make its thirst for success stronger. This tireless drive to compete and succeed despite all odds seems to be the tried and true spirit of tennis at American.

As for the future of tennis at American, while Argyopolous confirms the athletic department has “no plans at this point to add Tennis or any other varsity program” the leadership within the team still sees a bright future for the team. As Morris notes, this year the tennis team “won its first ever invitational tournament within the four years that I have been involved with the club” which is a true testament to the strength of the team today and in the future.