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Tuesday, October 19, aoio | The Rbd a Black
8
Newly-formed doubles duo kicks season off right with wins
By USA GLASER
Thb Rio A Black
Alter just two weeks of
practice together, junior
Nadia Gilchrist and fresh
man Lilly Kimbell beat the
No. 12- and No. 2-ranked
doubles teams in the coun
try at the ITA All-American
championships.
With six freshmen on
Georgia’s women's tennis
team’s 10-person roster, the
partnership is a fitting
example of more-seasoned
players lending their advice
and experience to their new
teammates during the indi
vidual tell season.
After all, the ITA All-
American championships
marked Just the third foray
in collegiate competition
for KimbelL
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Gilchrist helped guide
the freshman and calm her
down before stepping onto
the court.
“I just had to tell her,
‘lt’s OK. It’s alright to be
nervous.’ When I was a
freshman, I was obviously
nervous ... I know a lot of
the other girls who used to
be on the team had to be in
my position and tell that to
me, so I knew I had to take
a stand since I’m a junior
now,” Gilchrist said. “When
I talk to my siblings, I feel
like I’m kind of the one
who’s mentoring them
now."
Because of the fresh
men-heavy team, Gilchrist
feels the responsibility to
help players like Kimbell
and to become more of a
leader on the team more
than ever before. Though
Gilchrist is the youngest
sibling in her family, she
feels she has learned how
to step into the big sister
role.
"Since I was the young
est, it was always my sib
lings who were mentoring
me and telling me what to
d0... I guess I was used to
being told what to do and
how to tece through a lot of
difficult problems in my life.
But coming to college, I’ve
had to learn how to mentor
other people,” Gilchrist
said.
Gilchrist ended last sea
son ranked No. 6 in doubles
with her partner, Junior
Chelsey Gulllckson. The
two were each named All-
Americans in doubles after
playing together their fresh-
SHORTS.
WALLACE
man and sophomore years.
Due to her strong history
with Gullickson, Gilchrist
worried about adjusting to
her new freshman partner.
"I had some doubts. I
was kind of scared playing
with someone different,
because I’m used to play
ing with Chelsey and we
know each other like the
back of our hands. I was a
little nervous,” Gilchrist
said.
For Kimbell, playing
with her veteran teammate
was also worrisome at first,
but Gilchrist quickly allevi
ated any of the freshman’s
concerns.
“Sometimes it’s nerve
wracking [partnering with
Gilchrist] because I know
she’s so good and I want to
impress her. But, she’s chill
about everything, so it’s
great. She keeps me stay
ing positive,” Kimbell said.
Gilchrist’s and Kimbell’s
fears were assuaged with
their 9-8 (5) win over
Alabama’s No. 2-ranked
pair, Alexa Guarachi and
Courtney McLane, and
their 8-8 victory over
Virginia’s No. 12-ranked
Lindsey Hardenberg and
Erin Vlerra.
“I was able to hit good
ground strokes from the
baseline and [Kimbell] was
Just able to put the easy
volleys away, and that’s a
really good combination we
have," Gilchrist said.
Head coach Jeff Wallace
stresses the need for the
players, young and old, to
be united and work togeth
er, similar to Gilchrist and
Kimbell.
Wallace rejects perma
nently setting players
together as doubles part
ners or dividing them apart
this early in the year, pre
ferring to allow experimen
tation and a return to
basics in the fall.
“We’ve played about 29
total matches and we’ve
probably had about 18 dif
ferent pairings. We’re mix
ing it up a lot and the bot
tom line is, we’re Just trying
to do things right on the
doubles courts," Wallace
said. "It’s not about who
you play with. It’s about
doing the things we want
our players to do on the
doubles court.”
Whether Gilchrist and
Kimbell will continue to
compete together remains
to be decided, Wallace said.
Wallace notes the strengths
and weaknesses of the indi
vidual players and individu
al pairings, but is largely
interested in strengthening
the team as a whole.
“They all have different
personalities,” Wallace said.
“They’re all unique in their
own way and that’s fantas
tic. But what we’re trying
to do is build this team,
bring all these unique, indi
vidual traits together and
possibly make an unbeliev
able team that works hard
together.”
Both the freshmen and
upperclassmen will com
pete in the ITA Southeast
Regional Championships,
starting this Friday, Oct.
22.
The tournament marks
the team’s first and only
action at home this fall.
Gilchrist hopes to lead
her team and gain an indi
vidual win.
“It’s definitely going to
be a tough region, like
always,” Gilchrist said. “I’m
hoping I can win it this year;
since last year, I lost in the
semi-finals, so I was close.
My goal this year is to win
it so I can go to National
Indoors.”