Download Game. Set. No Match. By Allison Solberg “Bum

 Game. Set. No Match. By Allison Solberg “Bum Bum Pft, Bum Bum Pft. Boom Boom Cha, Boom Boom Cha.” “Go Steve! Go Steve!” These are the sounds of a van ride with the Villanova Women’s Tennis Team. “Is there anymore Trail Mix?” “Turn up the music!” Head Coach Steve Reiniger beatboxes away on a journey back home from Bucknell. The energy is bouncing off the windows as eight tennis girls break it down in the back seats. This happiness high is coming from the weekend wins where the girls demolished the competition at the Bucknell Invitational. The freshmen, who are on their first tennis trip, just stare in amazement as they attempt to soak it all in. The girls are sweaty, sunburned, and exhausted but nothing is stopping them from enjoying this moment. “This one is from the boys with the boomin’ system…” A little Nicki Minaj chimes in on the radio. Yet, these victory tennis van rides could disappear from Villanova within the next few years. The girls continue to rap along with Nicki Minaj but all of them wonder about the program and the mystery that lurks behind it. With recent conference changes being discussed in the Villanova Athletic Department, lower tier sports could get the boot, which may include the Villanova Tennis program. The biggest buzz has been about the Villanova Football team. After their championship year in 2009, Villanova placed a bid to move their football program to the Big East conference. Football is the only non-­‐Big East sport at Villanova. Gossip circulates around students, parents, and the Villanova community. The overall opinion is to move the Football program up a division in order to have more exciting games and for the university to become better known. However, if you are competing in a lower tier sport at Villanova, your thoughts and opinions may be shifting in another direction. Such a drastic move is a big deal for a small school like Villanova. To make the move alone and buy into the conference would cost around $1 million dollars. The university also has to consider other football expenditures like gear, traveling expenses, and according to Big East conference rules, all football players would have to be on scholarships. Home games wouldn’t even be played on campus but at the Philadelphia Union stadium about twenty minutes away from Villanova. If looking at the decision from a football standpoint, the conference change could help benefit Villanova. It could add more buzz to campus life, more attendants at games, and give Villanova the chance to compete for a BCS title. One of the few people who strongly dislike the idea of Villanova Football going Big East is Women’s Tennis Head Coach, Steve Reiniger. Coach Reiniger is going onto his sixteenth year at Villanova. If Villanova Tennis was dropped, not only would he loose his team but also his job. However, depending on the Athletic Department’s feelings towards the Tennis program, the team could either benefit or completely crumble. “Hypothetically speaking, two things could happen,” Coach Reiniger said. “It could be a positive as far as budget and scholarship money, or it could be a negative where they would have to cut programs to pay for the Football program and in my eyes that would be a true loss to the school.” These hypothetical benefits could arise from a NCAA rule called Title Nine. This rule states that women’s sports are to receive equal benefits and scholarship money as men’s sports. Therefore, if Villanova University adds money to the Football program they would have to add money to their female athletics as well. Where they choose to place the money is at their discretion, and in the end they may decide to drop some lower tier sports to balance the books and save some cash if needed. As of right now, Villanova Women’s Tennis is non-­‐scholarship and has small a budget. The benefits may sound nice, however Coach Reiniger is unsure if that scenario would even happen. Unfortunately, there is no comfortable middle ground with this decision. Everyone knows what would happen to the football team, but no one considers other sports like tennis. Lower tier sports at Villanova are the true student-­‐athletes. They take a full course load, don’t opt out of difficult classes for easy teachers, do their own work, and still have a full training schedule. Somehow these athletes are swept under the rug. Senior Captain of the Villanova Women’s Tennis team, Allie Harding, knows that feeling. Going into her fourth year of competing at Villanova, she has experienced the program’s ups and downs. “The team is enjoyable, but the program is unorganized,” Allie explains. “There is a lack of communication and some years we haven’t even gotten our uniforms on time.” How is a team supposed to compete without uniforms? This is a task that the Villanova Women’s Tennis team goes through every year. For at least the first two tournaments of the fall season, the girls have to gather together and share uniforms, which seems a little unprofessional for a Division 1 sport. Shoes are another issue. Somehow each year, the Villanova Athletic Department messes up the size orders and some girls are forced to play in old shoes with their socks hanging out. “It is really obnoxious that it is so unorganized but I understand that I am not on a scholarship team,” commented Allie. “We don’t have tons of money flowing to tennis but on the other hand it just seems human nature to have communication and be organized, that’s what I think.” Since Villanova Women’s Tennis is already placed at the bottom of the totem pole, does it make them more likely to be cut? This worrisome thought has crossed everyone’s mind. Allie may have gone through one of Villanova Tennis’ most difficult times. Sophomore and number one seed, Mikelle Mancini, thinks the program is currently improving with a higher morale from more wins and better management. If football was to go Big East, team members like Mikelle may not get to finish their college experience playing tennis for Villanova. “I think it would be really hard not to have a tennis team if these changes go through. It affects us in a way because the team is such a huge part of our lives,” Mikelle comments. “We made a small group of people that makes us feel like a family.” This tennis family has gone through strenuous training and difficult wins and loses over the years. These girls have become their own support system since people rarely attend home matches and the Athletic Department somewhat undermines the team’s ability. “Even though we have a really tough conference, the Athletic Department doesn’t acknowledge or applaud all the work we put in even though we may not be as successful as other teams,” said Mikelle. For the past few years, The Athletic Department has reported inaccurate scores and misspelled players names on the Athletics’ website. The roster was just recently updated since its last revision in 2008. For some athletes, this type of treatment and behavior could lower or diminish their self-­‐confidence. Despite the lack of support from the “Nova Nation” community, the girls wouldn’t want to be competing anywhere else but Villanova. During this fall season, the team has dominated with the most wins at every tournament despite having a young roster. This can only be a good sign for future seasons. Villanova Tennis Director, Bradley Adams, believes the Women’s Tennis program is on the rise, “We are up and coming in a sense that besides the three seniors, we have a pretty young team,” Bradley states. “There are plenty of kids that are young and able to contribute. So the ground work is set for some good seasons ahead of us.” It would be a shame for Villanova to cut the program once they are beginning to do so well. Just imagine. If this team can already defeat schools with scholarship programs and rack up the W’s, the wins will only increase with scholarships and budget money added. But this is the now moment. Currently, these girls are rapping away to Nicki Minaj in the tennis van on the way back to school. All attempting not to worry about the future issue at hand, just basking in their weekend victories. “Can’t you hear that boom, badoom, boom, badoom, boom bass?” You may not be able to hear Nicki herself on the radio, but you can certainly hear the Villanova Women’s Tennis Team. Even Coach Reiniger occasionally tries to beatbox along with the music. “Boom Boom Che, Boom Boom Che.” These are styles and attitudes of the Villanova Women’s Tennis Team. Without doubt, they are unlike any other team. Unfortunately, on the edge of being pushed off and cut off from Villanova University Athletics.