Eagles Set For Test at ITA Fall Championships

Posted: Sep 27, 2024

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Eagles women's tennis team is set to take another tough test at the four-day ITA Fall Championships, starting on Saturday in Sumter, South Carolina.

Sophomore Sindija Manovska, who made her presence felt late in her freshman year, is excited about the opportunity to prove herself at the ITAs.

"I think I've improved in my tennis just from playing college tennis," Manovska said. "It is definitely a lot different from what I am used to playing juniors… I've had a whole year of analyzing and preparing to play against college players."

Coming into her second season with the Eagles, Manovska appreciates the team's mix of youth and experience, including teammate Leah McBride, who made a run to the ITA round of 16 in last year's event. Manovska is excited about what they can bring throughout the fall season.

"There's a lot of variety in our team," Manovska said. "It's good for the practice… It's a variety of different playing styles and experiences, and it's really good for our team to practice and prepare for the tournaments."

While the freshmen and newcomers got to play at the Belmont Abbey Invitational, Manovska and the rest of C-N's returners stayed to prepare for the ITAs. The sophomore used this time to prepare for an event that didn't end the way she wanted it to a season ago.

"For me personally, the outcome in the ITAs wasn't what I expected it to be," Manovska said. "I suffered an injury in the first set of the first match and unfortunately had to retire from the match last year… I've been really preparing and trying to prevent injuries this year. Hopefully, the outcome will be a lot better this year. We've been playing a lot of points against each other, trying to improve. We've been trying to keep up the good energy and being positive on the court."

In her sophomore season and at the ITAs, Manovska hopes to focus on her mental game, which will help her overcome some of the difficulties of playing tennis at the college level.

"I'm trying to focus on the mental game," Manovska said. "College tennis is a lot different than juniors… It's a lot of mental game and trying to analyze your opponent… It's good, again, that we have a lot of variety in the players on our team to prepare for how your opponent will play."

Manovska and the rest of the Eagles will look for a productive outing at the ITA Fall Championships, starting on Saturday in Sumter, South Carolina.