Dalhousie University’s Tennis Club captured their third Atlantic University Tennis League (AUTL) Championship in three years, but, like in the past, the Tigers headed home from nationals with a last-placed finish.
Whether it’s a lack of resources compared to other Canadian universities, or a division in skill level, Atlantic Canada’s only representation failed to win a match at the Canadian University Tennis Championships. It was the Dal men’s team’s third time at the Canadian University Championships, while the women’s side were returning for their second year.
A solid effort
To start the tournament, both Tigers squads were shutout 7-0 by Université Laval, which set up a third-placed match against the University of Toronto for each side.
Although the women’s team were once again unable to win a set, the men raced out to a 1-0 lead with captain Payton Nicol and Hielke Moore taking a tight 8-7 set. Toronto secured the next two, but Moore squared the match at two with 4-2 and 4-1 wins.
Nicol followed with a tight set against Arden Robert D’Aniello. The Dal captain took the first game 4-0, but D’Aniello roared back to take the second 4-3. In the final game Nicol survived with a 4-3 win.
Toronto took the next four sets to win the match 5-2, but Nicol remembered the match as being a positive moment where Dal had quite a few chances and they would love to be able to play the University of Toronto again.
Barriers to finishing above fourth
Nicol described his first time at the Canadian University Tennis Championship in the 2021-22 season as a wake up call to him and the rest of the team. He remembers how they didn’t know exactly what they were getting themselves into, and that when they arrived he found other teams had a different intensity in comparison to Atlantic Canada.
“We really loved that,” said Nicol. “This is the goal, this is what we want to play for.”
Now with three years at nationals under his belt, Nicol has realized that for the club to move to the next level they must reflect on how the tournament went and identify the things that other clubs are doing.
However Nicol realizes that some things are out of their control as students.
“Some of these schools are just really well established,” Nicol said. “They’re very well funded, they have courts and training on campus. They have access to facilities, courts and coaches that we don’t have.”
In January of 2022 the Dalhousie athletic department had told the club that the tennis courts, which were located across from Dalplex, would be replaced by a parking lot.
The club is now forced to practice at various public courts in the fall. In the winter, you’ll find them at locations such as the HeadStart Tennis Club in Clayton Park or the Atlantic Tennis Centre in Bedford.
Anna Nicolela, the women’s captain of the club, like Nicol, realized very quickly at nationals there was a difference in resources that were given to teams in the Atlantic provinces. In her first Canadian University Tennis Championship she saw teams have a coaching staff, access to a bus and more players on their rosters.
“That didn’t necessarily translate to that big of a gap in terms of tennis,” Nicolela said. “All things considered we’re not that far off.”
More experience with national opponents
Nicolela feels pretty comfortable going against the competition in the AUTL, but that’s not the case for nationals.
“It’s difficult to go from playing matches that you know you’re going to win and you’re really not that worried and then go to nationals and it’s a challenge,” Nicolela said.
Both captains recognize that a way for the club to improve would be to set up matches against non-Maritime talent. But once again, funds and travel have become a barrier for the club.
“We’re kind of on the edge of the coast,” Nicolela said. “It’s difficult to convince other schools to come over here when they have competition. So it leaves it on us to find the money to go out there.”
Nicol said that some of the coaches at nationals were impressed by Dal’s skill level, and though he says they won’t be travelling to B.C., Quebec and Ontario may be in the cards.
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