McDowell builds on freshman experience

By Akshay Amaraneni

Staff Writer

Five-star recruits are always accompanied by high expectations. Tennis star Amanda McDowell lived up to those expectations, finishing the season ranked 90th in the nation and helping the Jackets win their first NCAA national championship.

McDowell finished the 2006-07 season with a 25-4 dual singles record setting a school record. The 25 wins included an 11 match singles winning streak through the NCAA tournament for the title.

Throughout her freshman year, McDowell surpassed expectations and proved to be an excellent and dependable option for head coach Bryan Shelton.

During last season's ACC championship, McDowell swept Tory Zawaki in straight sets for the Jackets 4-0 win over Duke. That marked only the second win ever for the Jackets over Duke with both coming last season.

The next day McDowell played a huge role as well, beating Sarah Andundsen of North Carolina to send the Jackets to the finals for the third straight season. She added to her resume with a win against Romy Farah of Miami in the finals to get the Jackets their third straight conference championship.

The NCAA tournament was held in Athens, which was advantageous for the Jackets because they were so close to home.

Unfortunately for Tech, they did not have the same amount of time off between matches that they did during the season.

"It was hard, but one advantage was being in Athens, we didn't have school everyday and we were there for tennis. That was our complete focus everyday. It was tough mentally to get yourself there when you're physically getting tired. I think we just had to work so hard for it that we weren't going to let anything stop us. Winning a team championship is even more meaningful than winning an individual because you all have to come together and you need everyone on the team to win," McDowell said.

McDowell returned to Tech for her sophomore season along with four other players from last year's championship team. The one difference between last year and this year is the role Tech plays. Last season, Tech became the first team to beat Stanford in nearly four seasons on their way to an indoor national championship.

"Even though we won national indoors last year, I don't think people thought we could win a national championship, even though we had already won one. We were still an underdog," McDowell said.

Tech is not entering this season defending an 89-match win streak like Stanford last year, but that won't stop teams from deciding the Jackets are the best team from last season. McDowell is not allowing herself or the team to get caught up in last season and instead focus on this season.

"We're definitely moving forward, we're not just going to dwell on our past because this is a new season. I think, for the returners, we know that we can step up under pressure and know what it takes to win a championship," McDowell said.

"Last year I didn't know what to expect. I just went out there and played and didn't know what it was going to feel like. That has its advantages, but there are advantages to being a returner. Now I know what it takes and I know the level of intensity you have to have and what you have to bring to every match," McDowell said.

With Tech breaking in a new squad of freshman to replace the three empty spots on the roster, McDowell takes on a new role this season, one that includes teaching and leading by example.

"We always talk to the freshman about what it takes to win and be 100% in practice everyday. It's not just about the matches, it's about how we practice everyday," McDowell said.

While, it did not happen often last season, McDowell takes a different approach to losing than most players.

"While it's OK to be upset, I try to put it in perspective and not let it just ruin my life for the next three days. That really helps, then I can go out the next match and not feel the pressure of 'win, win, win,' if there's a loss before," McDowell said.

McDowell hopes that this season, the Jackets can follow up their success from last season. She, as well as the team, knows the task will not be easy.

Neither she nor the team is taking it lightly though, the Jackets play tournaments every weekend and have faired well to this point.

"Even though there might be a little more pressure, it's a nice feeling to have because we worked so hard. That's what comes with being at the top and we're ready to deal with it. We definitely need to keep in mind some things from last year and build on that. It's a new year and teams are completely different," McDowell said.