Dream Season, Awoken Before Dawn

As we look back on 2019-20 women's tennis, the season had all the elements of the perfect dream. It seemed as if everything was falling into place. Caroline Wheelen, the last coach to take FAU to the NCAA Tournament, reassumed the helm after working with the team as an assistant the two previous seasons. The bulk of the team, who had arrived the previous January and done amazingly well as college newcomers, returned to campus in August ready to build upon a No. 3 seed at the 2019 Conference USA Championship and a top-60 national rank. Key newcomers were in place to strengthen the Owls. And then, the dream ended. FAU and the rest of the world was awoken to a new normal. The dream-like state was broken. The season was over.

The Owls ended 2020 with an 8-3 dual match record and were undefeated at home, on the courts that try visiting opponents. When teams travel to play at FAU, they can expect an athletically skilled opponent who is mentally prepared to withstand the elements of: ocean breezes, morning rain delays, 80 degree weather even in January or February, and a back drop of palm trees and blue skies. The Owls used that to their advantage to climb in the national rankings, both individually and as a team.

"The tennis season was going exactly as I planned until COVID-19 came along," said Wheelen. "When this team arrived in August 2019, with quite a few freshmen, the future of the season was unknown. But I figured out early on that this team was going to make an impact!"

College sports is not for the faint of heart, tennis in particular because it has no season. For FAU women's tennis, the season is year-round and all outdoors, in near-perfect weather. The fall features a lot of travel. During the Fall of 2019, every player was presented with tournament challenges. Often, the squad was split for the best matchups and ranking opportunities. Individuals traveled to Wisconsin, Oklahoma and California while also making Florida stops in Coral Gables, Fort Myers, Tallahassee and Vero Beach. Time management was key in the fall. The team posted the second-best grade point average among FAU teams in the Fall of 2020 and picked up impressive individual wins over opponents including Florida, Georgia, Miami, FSU, FIU and USF, just to name a few.

"This team positively grew together, held each other accountable and understood (that) playing FAU tennis is a fulltime job," said Wheelen. "But, they also enjoyed and managed all aspects of college tennis including the social, off-the-court training and academics."

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From the Coach's Seat

The Newcomers
"Radka Buzkova and Karin Kozlejova adapted very quickly to the demands of college athletics. On a daily basis, they both brought positive energy and enthusiasm. I like to stress to the players the need to find a system that works best for themselves – mentally and physically. There were many evenings as I left campus that I noticed Radka was doing extra time on the track. Karin committed herself to doubles and ended up clinching the doubles point on several occasions, therefore winning the match for us. She was always there for her teammates and you could hear her support consistently and loudly.

"Junior transfer Louie McClelland gave to our team a wisdom of the game and taught everyone you can win with intelligence and not just brute power. She clinched some major matches for us after long three-hour battles. Her fitness level was crucial to those wins.

The Returners
"Our returners brought experience and wisdom to work every day. These girls play any position with tenacity and the ultimate goal was to win the TEAM POINT.

"Natalie Kallmunzerova was having the same undefeated season that #102 world ranked WTA professional player Aliona Bolsova had when she played for FAU. Aliona was 19-0 in 2018 and every time Natalie stepped out on the court in 2020, she went into business mode and trounced her opponents to tally an 10-0 record.

"May Kimhi and Martina Kudelova had tough fall seasons and then turned around their seasons in the spring to become solid forces. May learned that it takes many months to get to a certain level, therefore it's important to use the summer to remain ready to play. Martina is always willing to go the extra mile to get better as a team. They both bring maturity and consistency to the team culture.

"Unless you have ever been a team captain you cannot understand the demands, pressures and difficulty it is to lead a team of strong women. Natalia Boltinskaya led the 2019-20 team with professionalism and grace. Leaders like Natalia are hard to find. No one knows the duties and tasks she performs behind the scenes in addition to the typical stresses that go along with being a college tennis player. We couldn't have asked for a better captain and Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) member. Natalia represents FAU with so much pride. Losing my assistant (Marcy Cava, who was also a longtime FAU head coach) in December was tough going into the spring season. Being the sole coach and not having an assistant during such a successful season was difficult for me and it also placed an extra burden on Natalia, but she jumped into the role of helping me on a daily basis. I'm very grateful for that and I know the team is grateful for it as well. It is always better to have a second ear/organizer and she was that for us all."

While FAU tennis is on the rise, the on-campus facility has brought the collegiate experience to campus and exposed general students and fellow student-athletes to the excitement and competitiveness of tennis. The FAU Tennis Complex has also provided an opportunity for various coaches and staff members the opportunity to enjoy the matches.

"FAU is climbing in all the sports," said Wheelen. "I'm so proud of my fellow coaches as we all compete against schools with tremendous budgets, facilities and staff. FAU coaches dedicate so much time and energy to the student-athletes. I appreciate them coming to the matches, their creativity and intelligence of the coaching staff as well as their successes. Thank you to everyone. To all the support staff, facilities, training staff, communications and marketing staffs, and to the fans that came out to see us battle!"

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Players Mentioned

Natalia Boltinskaya

Radka Buzkova

Natalie Kallmunzerova

May Kimhi

Karin Kozlejova

Martina Kudelova

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