The Long Beach State women’s tennis team is pursuing its seventh Big West Conference title with four English players, two Americans, and a French freshman.
With five international students, LBSU (15-7, 8-0 Big West) is one of the most diverse squads at The Beach.
Seniors Hannah Grady, from Coventry, England, and Jessica Weeks, from Beckenham, England, have three championships and are trying to lead this year’s team to a sixth consecutive title.
Deborah Armstrong, from Newcastle, England, and Lisa Sutton, from Kelsall, England, are both sophomores enjoying their second season at The Beach.
Julie Luzar, from Anaheim, and Rachel Manasse, from Manhattan Beach, are two of three freshmen and the only Americans on the team.
Finally, Anais Dallara is a freshman from Valbonne, France that did not know any English before she arrived to Long Beach State last semester.
Head coach Jenny Hilt-Costello is in her 11th season with the team and uses the Internet to scout tennis players all over the world. She is unable to travel abroad, and uses online mediums such as YouTube to analyze an international player’s skills.
“First contacts are done with e-mail,” Hilt-Costello said. “Then, we get them to send us practice and match play videos.”
However, she has been criticized by American parents for not recruiting American players. Hilt-Costello explained that her job is to select the best players for the team, even if that means overlooking local talent.
“You look for the best available players to come to fit into our team dynamics,” Hilt-Costello said. “I look at it as, I’m hired to graduate my student-athletes and I’m hired to win matches.”
Hilt-Costello said she would not fold to pressure from American parents and stop from recruiting potential international players.
“We’ve had a lot of success given how we have been recruiting,” she said. “I don’t really see why we would want to change our recruiting [process] because it’s working for us.”
And it has been working perfectly.
The 49ers have been nationally ranked since Hilt-Costello’s arrival, and have won six Big West championships in the past seven years — making them the premier team in the conference.
The team’s recent success also shows that the team’s diversity has not thrown their chemistry off-balance. Adapting to the American lifestyle has not been difficult for the international players who enjoy playing in a diverse atmosphere.
“It was pretty easy,” Weeks said in regards to getting accustomed to the American lifestyle. “I came in the summer my freshmen year and that transition made it easy and fun for me.”
For Dallara, though, the language barrier has proven a more difficult task of getting used to American life since she is the only player on the team from a non-English speaking nation.
“I didn’t know any English before I came,” Dallara said. “But it’s been easy to learn. With the team, I’ve gotten help with the real English and the American-English.”
Weeks also explained getting to know each other and becoming good friends has added to the team’s morale. The only problem the international students still have a difficulty on is getting around So Cal — literally.
“We can’t drive,” Sutton said half jokingly. “It’s difficult getting around because we have no cars.”
Luzar and Manasse are the only Americans on the team, but believe that the international players do not need their help adapting to American life. Luzar expressed that all the players are strong and independent, and the team’s utilitarian approach of individually seeking the greatest good for the greatest number, has boosted their performance and drive.
“Unlike basketball or volleyball, this is more of an individual sport,” Hilt-Costello said. “I refer [to the players] as ‘we.’ Everyone is eager to work as a team. We set group goals and how we’re going to accomplish those group goals.”
The next goal for the 49ers is to attain their sixth title. They begin the Big West Tennis Championship Tournament this Friday against the winner of the first-round match between No. 8 UC Riverside and No. 9 Cal State Fullerton. The tournament will be hosted at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden starting at 9 a.m.
One of Long Beach’s best programs. The players and coaches are great, and the product on the court is outstanding. More people should come out to the courts and enjoy themselves. If they do, I am sure they would become fans of the program, kinda like I did.