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||©David Howells 2018

Samantha Vincent comes from a tennis family. She played basketball, soccer, and hockey growing up, but her whole family played tennis. Now the St. John’s native is preparing to contest her first Canadian University Tennis Championships with her Memorial teammates.

“Playing as a team is way more fun than individual,” Vincent says, adding that the team is much closer now and has played better together as the season progressed. In preparation for the national championships, the team is focusing on match play and putting themselves in pressure situations. Due to Memorial’s small team size, all six players will be playing singles and doubles at nationals.

Photo ©David Howells 2018

Memorial has already made history by winning the Atlantic University Tennis League championships in March, thereby qualifying for the national championships. “It was a goal going in,” Vincent says, “but it was a surprise because we’ve tried for five years and hadn’t won yet.” The team defeated Dalhousie in the decisive match to qualify to the national championships for the first time.

Vincent said some recognition has followed the team’s historic achievement. The players were interviewed by CBC, and Vincent hopes the attention will attract more high-level players to Memorial.

As for the upcoming national championships in Toronto, Vincent is most looking forward to playing other top Canadian teams on a national stage. Memorial has never played any of the other teams in the field and knows they will be stiff competition, but the team’s goal is simple. “We want to just play our best and see how it goes.”

Don’t miss watching the Memorial women’s team make history at the Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, August 10-11! Memorial faces Western University in the semifinals on August 10, with the finals and third-place match the following day. Contact sronan@tenniscanada.com for ticket information.

 

 

 

 

 

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