The USI Women’s Tennis team started the 2014-2015 season with a 6-3 win over Cedarville University Sept. 13.

Coming off of that performance, the team is looking forward to a great season.

Women’s Tennis Coach Keely Porter saw the first win as a good show of strength and chemistry.

“I was really pleased with singles and doubles,” Porter said. “We competed really well and more than a lot of teams in the past. They really support each other and the team chemistry is really pretty good.”

The team dynamic is a strong one this year and it was visible during their practice on Sept. 25. The girls were supportive of each other and meshed well.

Junior Kaitlin Mooney has played tennis for about nine years now, lettering in tennis at New Albany High School. She was quick to praise the team dynamic.

“Compared to last year, there is a better cohesion of players; we’re a lot tighter as a group,” Mooney said. “We are better friends than we were before.”

The praise continued when incoming freshmen were brought up, not only from Mooney, but from Porter as well.

“I’m really happy with the freshmen class,” Porter said. “No huge names, but all three are coming in and working hard and pushing everybody else. All three are in the doubles starting lineup already.”

Junior Elizabeth Skinner was named Academic All GLVC as a freshman and has played tennis since she was in the eighth grade. Like Porter and Mooney, Skinner said the team’s strengths lie in its closeness.

She was very quick to answer when asked about the team’s goals and used just four words: “Make it to conference.”

Porter and Mooney echoed that in their answers as well.

Mooney said the goal was to get to conference in the spring.

“Not getting to it last year, I know, bummed all of us out kind of. With the freshmen not knowing about that, we are like ‘that’s our main goal.’ We are definitely going to get there,” she said.

“Our goal is to qualify for the conference championship,” Porter said. “My goal is to be realistically two or three seeds so we have a better chance to perform when we do make the tournament.”

The team does have its weaknesses, though.

“Conditioning has always been an issue,” Porter said. “We are going to do a little strength training and cardio.”

With their sights set on conference and the team having the strengths of a strong group of freshmen, good sportsmanship and real friendship, the group sees this as a season with great promise.

The next match is scheduled for Saturday in Georgetown, Kentucky.