Deacon Sports Xtra: Demon Deacons Set to Build on Foundation with Strong Core
9/21/2023 4:33:00 PM | Women's Tennis
With seven-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, Wake Forest women’s tennis looks to continue their sustained success under head coach Jeff Wyshner.
Wake Forest women's tennis has earned an NCAA Tournament bid seven-straight seasons, but might have claimed its most dramatic postseason victory earlier this year in a come-from-behind first round win over Arizona State.
Trailing 3-1, the Deacs took the final three singles contests in three sets, closing out the win with Brooke Killingsworth claiming a 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 win despite battling through cramps.
"It was an amazing match, where we got down 3-1," said Wake Forest head coach Jeff Wyshner. "Brooke won the clincher despite getting helped to the sideline with cramping. It was an exciting finish, but we didn't have a whole lot left the next day for Tennessee. It was a great finish. Last year's team really got a lot out of themselves, which had a lot to do with chemistry and their desire to play for each other."
The Deacs defeated the No. 23 Sun Devils, but then were eliminated the next day by the hosting Tennessee Volunteers, finishing the season 18-14.
Many of the players have been around campus during summer school, including returning seniors Killingsworth and Casie Wooten.
"We've had more people around for summer, including Brooke and Casie," Wyshner said. "We have a new grad student from Vanderbilt, Marcella Cruz, who is pursuing a Masters in Management program. That started on July 10, so we had several players around."
While there's clearly an impetus to win everytime you take the court, the fall season is also for experimenting — finding the right slot for singles competitors and combining the right people for doubles combinations.
"It's a dynamic process through the fall season," Wyshner said. "We want the players to be training through the summer with the goal of showing us what they can do when we get into competition in September and October. Then it comes down to how they look in practice and how they perform against other teams. That will shape how it looks for January.
"One of the unique things about tennis is that your roster is generally small. We'll have 10 players on the roster this season again. We know them really well, really from their junior year in high school moving forward."
It's the pleasant surprises that can often be the difference between a good team and a great team, according to Wyshner, and players often make the biggest jump between their freshman and sophomore seasons.
"It's always incredible when somebody surprises us," he said. "When somebody comes back after a break or vacation and they've found another level in their game. They might have worked on something that clicked or their commitment level increased. A lot of times we see a big jump from freshman to sophomore seasons, because they suddenly know what to expect.
"Often one of the keys to our success are those pleasant surprises we encounter when we see them again in September or in January when they've been on their own for a few weeks as well."
While tennis is primarily a team game at the collegiate level, development is very much dependent on the individual, and that often squarely falls upon their commitment level, according to Wyshner.
"For many players, they've worked so hard through juniors and they've had the supervision of parents and coaches all along the way," he said. "They've had rivalries with other girls in their hometown, home state or region. The challenge is who is going to keep pushing themselves forward between the ages of 17-22. That becomes the determining factor about who you can be when you get to your junior and senior years of college. The freedom that comes with college is much different, so it's about who can balance the school work and freedom while still seeking to pursue excellence in something.
"As you get better and the older you get, the commitment level needed to be successful increases, and you only have more things pulling at you — relationships, school work and freedom. I think every college coach would tell you it's up to their internal drive, although we try to push those buttons as much as we can. The really successful players find it within themselves, and we're there to help them."
Being consistently ranked nationally and earning postseason bids has led to an uptick on the recruiting trail, with Wake Forest grabbing top-25 ranked classes nearly every year.
"That just speaks to everything Wake Forest has to offer," Wyshner said. "The opportunity to approach high school juniors and seniors and offer one of the best educations in the country. What Wake Forest does in terms of undergraduate education is absolutely amazing. They are very committed to personal contact with freshmen and sophomores, and that's an underappreciated aspect of Wake Forest that we talk to all of our recruits about.
"Then there's the opportunity to come to Wake Forest and become the absolute best version of yourself, that's academically, community and athletic experiences in mind. As the team has had more success and finished the last several years in the top 25 or so, we've been able to keep that recruiting momentum going."
Not only is Wyshner expecting excellent leadership from the likes of Killingsworth and Wooten, the former will also have to adjust to a new doubles partner after the graduation of Anna Brylin. The duo became the first Wake Forest pair to win the ITA All-American Doubles Championship in October 2021.
"Brooke has been fantastic," Wyshner said. "She's a natural leader and is committed to everything she does — her community service, spirituality, academics and her athleticism. She's been a fantastic role model for our fairly young incoming team, which will have six out of 10 players being either freshmen or sophomores.
"We're looking at likely starting the year with her playing along with Marcella Cruz. Marcella finished the year in the top-45 in the country playing No. 1 doubles for Vanderbilt. They should have a good opportunity to get into some of the better fall events, with both highly ranked last year."
Even with some roster turnover, Wyshner believes the 2023-24 Demon Deacons can build on what was accomplished a season ago.
"It's more of a build from last year," he said. "We went through the season a bit short-handed with a couple of roster spots coming open in August unexpectedly, then an anticipated addition in January turning out to need surgery and being unable to play. The roster wasn't as deep, so the players had to dig deep.
"We're all excited to see a few more players in practice everyday and have some additional competition. The competition within the group this fall will be great and will allow us to be ready for January.
"We have to be ready to go in January, so we can get in position to host those first two rounds. I think this year's team has the potential to get us there."
Trailing 3-1, the Deacs took the final three singles contests in three sets, closing out the win with Brooke Killingsworth claiming a 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 win despite battling through cramps.
"It was an amazing match, where we got down 3-1," said Wake Forest head coach Jeff Wyshner. "Brooke won the clincher despite getting helped to the sideline with cramping. It was an exciting finish, but we didn't have a whole lot left the next day for Tennessee. It was a great finish. Last year's team really got a lot out of themselves, which had a lot to do with chemistry and their desire to play for each other."
The Deacs defeated the No. 23 Sun Devils, but then were eliminated the next day by the hosting Tennessee Volunteers, finishing the season 18-14.
Many of the players have been around campus during summer school, including returning seniors Killingsworth and Casie Wooten.
"We've had more people around for summer, including Brooke and Casie," Wyshner said. "We have a new grad student from Vanderbilt, Marcella Cruz, who is pursuing a Masters in Management program. That started on July 10, so we had several players around."
While there's clearly an impetus to win everytime you take the court, the fall season is also for experimenting — finding the right slot for singles competitors and combining the right people for doubles combinations.
"It's a dynamic process through the fall season," Wyshner said. "We want the players to be training through the summer with the goal of showing us what they can do when we get into competition in September and October. Then it comes down to how they look in practice and how they perform against other teams. That will shape how it looks for January.
"One of the unique things about tennis is that your roster is generally small. We'll have 10 players on the roster this season again. We know them really well, really from their junior year in high school moving forward."
It's the pleasant surprises that can often be the difference between a good team and a great team, according to Wyshner, and players often make the biggest jump between their freshman and sophomore seasons.
"It's always incredible when somebody surprises us," he said. "When somebody comes back after a break or vacation and they've found another level in their game. They might have worked on something that clicked or their commitment level increased. A lot of times we see a big jump from freshman to sophomore seasons, because they suddenly know what to expect.
"Often one of the keys to our success are those pleasant surprises we encounter when we see them again in September or in January when they've been on their own for a few weeks as well."
While tennis is primarily a team game at the collegiate level, development is very much dependent on the individual, and that often squarely falls upon their commitment level, according to Wyshner.
"For many players, they've worked so hard through juniors and they've had the supervision of parents and coaches all along the way," he said. "They've had rivalries with other girls in their hometown, home state or region. The challenge is who is going to keep pushing themselves forward between the ages of 17-22. That becomes the determining factor about who you can be when you get to your junior and senior years of college. The freedom that comes with college is much different, so it's about who can balance the school work and freedom while still seeking to pursue excellence in something.
"As you get better and the older you get, the commitment level needed to be successful increases, and you only have more things pulling at you — relationships, school work and freedom. I think every college coach would tell you it's up to their internal drive, although we try to push those buttons as much as we can. The really successful players find it within themselves, and we're there to help them."
Being consistently ranked nationally and earning postseason bids has led to an uptick on the recruiting trail, with Wake Forest grabbing top-25 ranked classes nearly every year.
"That just speaks to everything Wake Forest has to offer," Wyshner said. "The opportunity to approach high school juniors and seniors and offer one of the best educations in the country. What Wake Forest does in terms of undergraduate education is absolutely amazing. They are very committed to personal contact with freshmen and sophomores, and that's an underappreciated aspect of Wake Forest that we talk to all of our recruits about.
"Then there's the opportunity to come to Wake Forest and become the absolute best version of yourself, that's academically, community and athletic experiences in mind. As the team has had more success and finished the last several years in the top 25 or so, we've been able to keep that recruiting momentum going."
Not only is Wyshner expecting excellent leadership from the likes of Killingsworth and Wooten, the former will also have to adjust to a new doubles partner after the graduation of Anna Brylin. The duo became the first Wake Forest pair to win the ITA All-American Doubles Championship in October 2021.
"Brooke has been fantastic," Wyshner said. "She's a natural leader and is committed to everything she does — her community service, spirituality, academics and her athleticism. She's been a fantastic role model for our fairly young incoming team, which will have six out of 10 players being either freshmen or sophomores.
"We're looking at likely starting the year with her playing along with Marcella Cruz. Marcella finished the year in the top-45 in the country playing No. 1 doubles for Vanderbilt. They should have a good opportunity to get into some of the better fall events, with both highly ranked last year."
Even with some roster turnover, Wyshner believes the 2023-24 Demon Deacons can build on what was accomplished a season ago.
"It's more of a build from last year," he said. "We went through the season a bit short-handed with a couple of roster spots coming open in August unexpectedly, then an anticipated addition in January turning out to need surgery and being unable to play. The roster wasn't as deep, so the players had to dig deep.
"We're all excited to see a few more players in practice everyday and have some additional competition. The competition within the group this fall will be great and will allow us to be ready for January.
"We have to be ready to go in January, so we can get in position to host those first two rounds. I think this year's team has the potential to get us there."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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