Drury intramural tennis club

Drury's Tennis Club may be small, but it has grown since it was first created in 2009.

Initially started by students Alex Wiley, Ian Rowslawski, Spencer Anderson, and Lindsey Castrodale as a way to find someone to hit with, today the club has fifteen members.

Some of these members played varsity tennis in high school, while others just want to learn how to play the game.

This year Professor Brian Shipman, instructor of Video Production, and Jarrod Smith, coach of the Drury tennis teams, have decided to sponsor the club.

Shipman says, "I am proud to help the team as the organization fosters their love for the game. It is a wonderful outlet for Drury students that have tennis experience to continue to grow and enjoy the game. It is also a great chance to introduce those with little experience to a lifetime activity that they can enjoy far past their college days."

Located at 2331 E. Pythian St., the Cooper Tennis Complex supports the Drury Tennis Club by giving students courts to practice indoors during the cold winter.

These practices are on Fridays from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and are focused around getting the players ready for the upcoming tournaments in the spring.

Spring practices will resume in March on Drury's courts. The practices are three times a week from 5 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Even though the days of practice change based on students schedules, they are often on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

These practices often include fun drills and games aimed to improve a player's ground strokes, volleys, overheads, serves, and footwork.

Will Walser, a member of the tennis club says, "I love tennis practice because we get to play games like King of the Court and Around the World."

Practices also give players the opportunity to work on their tennis-playing skills. During practices, students get the chance to play some friendly matches versus one another.

Alex Wiley, president of the club, says, "I try to make practices as fun as possible while still focusing on building the players' tennis skills. My goal is to make sure that every player is getting what he or she needs out of the tennis club, whether it be someone to play tennis with, someone to help improve their serve or ground strokes, or even just a friend."

Since the fall of 2009, the Drury tennis club has played in seventy-five matches versus club teams from Missouri State University, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Arkansas.

The Drury Tennis Club's A- team also went to the 2011 USTA National Campus Championships, last April. After a 17 hour drive to Cary, N.C., Drury got to play seven matches against tennis club teams from around the United States and were eventually placed in the copper division.

The B team also organized their own tennis invite last spring. In this tournament, eleven club teams from around Missouri played against Drury's Tennis Club.

They got to battle it out against the University of Tennessee (Chattanooga) and won in a close match with a score of 22-21.

Even though the A team of the tennis club got third out of four places and the B team got last place, many of Drury's players were happy just to be able to play some tennis.

Wiley is working to get the club's players involved in the community by participating in QuickStart Tennis.

This is a new program that helps children 10 and under to learn to play the game of tennis.

Wiley is optimistic that his friends in the tennis club will share their love for tennis with the younger generation and pass on their tennis skills to maybe even a future Drury tennis player.

With their winter practices in progress and spring tournaments heading their way, the Drury Tennis Club hopes to recruit new members and possibly go to the 2012 USTA National Campus Championships.

Even though the Drury Tennis Club remains small, all of the players have a love for playing the sport.

Smith, one of the club sponsors, says, "I have been extremely impressed with the organization and professionalism that Alex, his officers, and the club members exude. The members are cordial, respectful to all that play the game, and inviting to prospective members. Most of all, they are fun-loving athletes!"