Mathew Olszewski
Senior Sports Writer
The College of Wooster women’s tennis team just wrapped up their 2020-2021 season. Although they finished with a record of 1-9, they played extremely strong competition this season — mostly teams that are currently nationally ranked, such as Kenyon College, Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University.
For Kendra Devereux ’21, she was glad to be able to play the sport she loves despite the unusual circumstances and season. Devereux, an ITA Scholar-Athlete and member of the NCAC Academic Honor Roll, described COVID as a factor in bringing her team closer together. “We held a lot of virtual team meetings when we weren’t able to practice together, and that definitely allowed us to form bonds in a similar way that we would during a normal year. Also, I think we have all been super lucky to be part of a team during this time. It has meant that we have a group of people to spend time with in-person during practices and team dinners in Lowry. I’m super grateful for the in-person time we have been able to spend together for allowing friendships to form,” she said.
Her coach, Amy Behrman, has been an amazing source of support for her as well. “Coach has always been there for me. She has invested so much time and effort into helping me develop as a player, but she also expresses genuine interest in what I do off the court. She always encourages me in my academic and life accomplishments just as much as my athletic accomplishments, which has helped me grow as a person just as much as an athlete,” said Devereux.
As most sports teams at Wooster have a unique team tradition, the women’s tennis team’s is their annual trip to Hilton Head, S.C. Devereux described that trip as her favorite team memory over the years. “We all stay in a house together and get to spend a lot of time together off the tennis courts. My first trip really stands out because I feel that that is when I really got close with all of my teammates. It was just so much fun spending time together as a team, and we formed some great memories!”
The Scots ended their season on a high note with a decisive 9-0 victory over Ohio Wesleyan University. Given that this was Devereux’s and her fellow senior teammates’ final match of their collegiate careers, this win was extra special. “Earning a win against OWU was the perfect way to end the season. Playing several nationally-ranked teams this year has been really tough and has definitely felt defeating. Although I know we have all been improving throughout the semester, it was a bit discouraging never seeing that improvement in our match results. So, earning a win for our last match was just really exciting,” she said.
Devereux, an Environmental Geosciences major at the College, finished her Independent Study (I.S.) in February and briefly described it. “For my I.S., I modeled precipitation, runoff, evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge rates over the contiguous United States. I also paired my findings with predictions for changing precipitation patterns that are expected throughout the 21st century due to climate change in order to discuss how groundwater resource availability may change in the coming decades. Changing groundwater resources have major implications for agriculture and urban planning.”
