Javelinas finish off fall four-ball tournaments
Tennis fans got their final look at the Javelina tennis team at the sixth annual Javelina Jam before the spring 2024-2025 season.
Javelina Jam is part of Texas A&M-University’s four fall-ball competitions which is used to help the tennis team get a feel for the game and practice their skills before the spring.
This event is also held to get some first looks at conference opponents like Prairie View A&M, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Angelo State.
The excitement builds for the team and head coach Autumn Wollenzien, who knows how important these matches are for the upcoming season.
“It’s a great experience for everybody. We have a conference team here so, that gives us a little bit of a barometer of what we need to work on. It also shows what we need to do as far as looking into the spring and seeing where we line up against other teams,” Wollenzien said.
Wollenzien uses these fall-ball competitions to also set the tone for the team as a whole in the spring.
“We want to play aggressive tennis this next spring…We also want to play our game and not go out there and play it cool; we want to play how we want,” Wollenzien said.
Along with first looks at conference play and helping players get ready for the upcoming season this also gives new international players like Annalena Noll a chance to get used to the harsh south Texas weather.
“I think this spring season will be really good. I know, for example me, I have to get used to the courts, to the weather, to the wind, but I’m on a good wave. I think we all are, so I’m looking forward to it,” Noll said.
The tournaments aren’t just for the new athletes though, it also helps senior leaders like Manuela Aturolo kickstart the team’s focus on play and bonding.
“I do believe the tournaments that we’re playing are definitely helping us get a match mentality and get things going,” Aturolo said.
Lastly, every person involved with the team knows that there are always things to work on and get better at before the spring when they start confrence play in the spring.
