Athletes of the Week: Girls' Tennis Captains

 Having already defeated some of the most talented schools and teams in their league, Big Red girls’ tennis has been on a steady rise since the beginning of this season. While many new and returning athletes have made this improvement possible, the brightest spark has come from the squad's two co-captains, seniors Giulia Olsson and Nicole Yoon.Olsson came to the Academy as a prep, and although she hadn’t been too involved in any tournaments or team plays back home, her natural love and skills for tennis placed her on the varsity B team.“I found the team extremely encouraging. At first, my prep year, I was very shy and nervous to be playing with so many seniors,” Olsson said."I felt much more comfortable lower year and upper year. Coach Farnum really guided me in the right direction, and so did my captains every year.”Yoon, who joined the Academy as a new upper in the fall of 2011, was already a very experienced tennis player when she arrived on campus, having been playing the sport since she was eight years old. Yoon participates in on-and-off tournaments and trains year-round along with high school tennis. Tennis' large role in her daily routine led Yoon to describe tennis as an “integrated part” of her life.“The format at Exeter is different from the one I was familiar with back at home, so it was an interesting transition,” Yoon said. “Usually I'd only play one singles match, but here we do both singles and doubles. It's more exhausting, but it also feels more worthwhile to play so much.”Last year, both Olsson and Yoon played on the varsity A team, honing their individual technique and performances along with building a better sense of the team aspect of tennis at Exeter.When the time came, they were selected as captains for their sense of leadership, both on and off the courts, and the way that they could connect with the rest of the team in practices and match situations alike.“Both Nicole and Giulia are ‘team’ captains. We work on a team concept in a sport such as tennis, which is most known as an individual sport,” coach Jean Farnum said. “They care about the team as a whole and are in touch with the team members on a daily basis, on and off the courts. I feel that they complement each other well, and I can count on their consistent, unbiased observations in any situation that arises.”As the team’s great performance so far demonstrates, Olsson and Yoon have been very successful in fulfilling their roles as co-captains of a fairly young team. With constructive and focused practices, the players on the Exeter’s girls’ varsity tennis team have managed to win matches and rebound from losses with thrilling victories.Senior Anna Gruen, who plays on the varsity A team, had many compliments for both co-captains. “Nicole and Giulia and I are the three seniors on the A team, and the two of them have become two of my closest friends at Exeter,” she said. “They are both invested in the team and always make sure to try to bring the team closer together on and off the court.”Both Olsson and Yoon also noted how much they rely on each other, bringing a true sense of teamwork and cooperation to the leadership of the entire girls’ varsity team.“It's been such an honor to be co-captain this year, especially with Nicole by my side. I think being captain of a sports team is always an important role because you have to help the coach set the tone for the practice,” Olsson said. “It's hard to find the balance between being too fun and too serious, but I think that my teammates have allowed Nicole and me to find that balance quite easily.”Yoon agreed. “It's such an honor to be captain this year with Giulia. She's so passionate about everything she does, especially tennis,” she said. “Giulia has a way of making everybody feel comfortable and included, and I couldn't ask for a better co-captain. Though tennis is more or less an individual sport, I think we've managed to build great chemistry as a team.”Although neither Olsson nor Yoon have plans for playing competitively in college, they both reflected on the countless memories and experiences that playing on Exeter’s girls’ varsity tennis team has given them.“Once spring rolls around, it's no doubt tough to juggle tennis along with everything else. Our matches last a few hours, and to top it off we sometimes have three-hour road trips to other schools,” Yoon said. “But being part of a team means that you're committed. Plus some of our best memories come from the times we spend on the road or at McDonald's.”Olsson agreed, describing the social aspects of the sport of tennis, and the ways she was able to better connect with her teammates. “My friends on the team are always motivational and we encourage one another to work hard, no matter how tough the day has been. Tennis relieves all my stress and being on the court with my friends just makes everything a lot better.”