The NCC women’s tennis team capped off a successful fall season last month with their second consecutive CCIW Championship. The Cardinals finished the season with a combined record of 14-0. They also won a handful of postseason awards and have high hopes for March.
After COVID-19 caused the cancellation of both the 2020 seasons, the Cardinals were finally able to get back in action in the spring. The rust wore off fast, as they went 14-6 and won their first-ever CCIW Championship. The team fell to Skidmore College in the first round of the Division III Championship, but it was certainly a step in the right direction for the program, and one the team looked to build on it, which turned into a highly successful fall.
The team was led by the conference’s player of the year, Kaeili Smashey ‘21. Smashey went 8-0 in singles play and is now 15-0 all-time in singles CCIW matches since transferring to NCC.
She was joined on the first team All-CCIW list by Hannah Houghland ‘21, who, along with Alania Kanthaphixay ‘21, became the second and third players in program history to receive all-conference honors in four seasons.
Impact freshman
Natalie Bassett ‘25 was the lone underclassmen from the Cardinals to receive CCIW honors with a second-team all-conference selection. Bassett had a combined record of 13-1 between singles and doubles matches. Only two other CCIW freshmen won All-Conference honors.
“I started to trust my commitment to my shots more and more as the season progressed,” said Bassett. “I felt more comfortable moving throughout the court.”
Jumping to more awards
Coach Ryan Jump, who was hired after NCC finished second to last in conference in 2018, received recognition for his quick turnaround for the Cardinals. Jump won his second straight Coach of the Year award to go along with a second straight CCIW title.
The Cardinals record itself doesn’t do justice to show this fall’s dominance. NCC outscored their opponents 106-8, including a perfect 15-0 sweep in their three games in the conference tournament.
Despite the successful fall season, the team is already looking to make improvements and adjustments for the spring.
“Even though we went undefeated, we need a little bit of work to prepare for this spring because it’s not over yet,” said Kanthaphixay. “There’s no doubt that with this team, we can achieve our goals.”
The Cardinals were ranked eighth in the Central region in the final NCAA rankings back in May. After overperforming expectations this fall, the team expects a higher regional ranking. Yearly growth is an underappreciated aspect of this team.
The team will have the next four months off from competition before starting their spring season against the second-ranked team in their region, Washington University in St. Louis, on March 5.
