All the way from Victoria, Australia, Sophie Vickers joined the Vandal women’s tennis team this season and is already making her presence known.
“She is a competitor on the court, she loves to compete, her results have been impressive this semester and I’m impressed with her work ethic,” coach Daniel Pollock said.
Pollock said Vickers fit in with the team right from the start and eliminated any uncomfortable transition.
“She was pretty quiet and I think it’s just part of her personality,” Pollock said. “She just kind of blended in with the team.”
Vickers said she has been playing tennis since the age of 5 when she decided to follow in her older brother’s footsteps, and pick up
a racquet.
Vickers said tennis in Australia is pretty much the same as everywhere else, but the courts she learned to play on were not like America’s hard courts.
“The matches back home are played mostly on clay, so initially I found movement on the courts here a little difficult and it takes a while to get used to,” Vickers said.
She said neither court is particularly harder to play on but the transition takes some getting used to.
“I prefer to play on clay but that’s just me because I have played on it my whole life,” Vickers said.
Court and climate changes far from home haven’t hindered Vickers’ ability to adapt, she said.
“I was a bit nervous and didn’t really know what to expect first arriving, but I am pretty happy with my results and looking forward to next year,” Vickers said.
She said Pollock was helpful with her transition and she likes his coaching style.
“Dan’s been great, ever since I have got here he has been very helpful and I think he has got big plans of what he wants to get out of us next semester,” Vickers said. Pollock said his immediate goal for Vickers is to become more aggressive on the court.
“She does everything really well but her quiet personality flows over into the game and she can sometimes be not as aggressive as she needs to be,” Pollock said.
He said she is starting to come out of her quiet shell during team practices.
“We’re starting to see a little bit more of her personality now and her sense of humor is starting to come out at practice,” Pollock said. “She is a really funny kid with a good sense of humor.”
Pollock said her personality and skill set could mean good things for Vickers and her future as a tennis player.
“She is left-handed, which is a huge
advantage, and if we can figure out a few more things I don’t see why she can’t be a solid college player for her next four years,” Pollock said.
Vickers has her own immediate goal — to get used to playing at the college level and with different people. She said in Australia players run into the same competition over and over.
Off the court, Vickers enjoys shopping, reading and listening to music. She said she is not just here for tennis but for school too and she is majoring in exercise science and health.
Vickers said that some of her most enjoyable times are on the court with teammates, who she said all get along.
“We train hard but we enjoy it and have lots of fun at the same time, so I’m really liking it,” Vickers said.
The fall season is over for the Vandals but Vickers may get some action if she chooses to enter individual events before the spring season.