Week 4: Swain’s last season, girls’ tennis preserves undefeated record

In her last season of competitive tennis, senior Lise Swain was not looking for a lot of drama or pressure, but mostly just to have fun with her supportive teammates.

Swain said that she wants to go out with a bang and that there are no better people with whom to do it than her teammates this year.

Having played in national tournaments when she was younger, Swain feels that it is easier to put forth her effort and motivation when she plays every match like she would at a national tournament.

“Generally, every match I try to go in with a focused mindset on myself and not my opponent because I never know good how my opponent will be,” Swain said. “It’s much easier for me to just go into matches just focusing on myself and my shots instead of my opponent because then it gets too complicated.”

According to Swain, before serious matches, she likes to be by herself and not talk to anyone.

“I put on my headphones and listen to my hardcore rap music so I can’t even hear anything,” Swain said.

She goes to the trainer to tape her right knee since she has arthritis, and then she tries to get to the courts really early to stretch out and warm up.

“I always hit my ground strokes first, forehands then backhands, then I take volleys, and last I do only five serves so my shoulder doesn’t tire out,” Swain said.

Swain’s main focus is getting a lead because it relieves her of a lot of pressure and gives her momentum for the rest of the match.

“It’s something my dad taught me. If I get a lead then I will be more relaxed, and because I’m more relaxed I’ll play better and faster,” Swain said.

Like most athletes, Swain has some superstitions and individual qualities that make her distinct from everyone else.

According to Swain, she usually switches balls after each point because she get superstitious about playing with the same ball. She thinks that whatever happened in the last point, the opposite would happen in the next point if she used the same ball.

“Sometimes I won’t change balls, like if I double fault, then I want to change what the result of that ball was. However, if I get a point on a hit I’ll change the ball so it’ll happen again,” Swain said.

Swain also has routines like bouncing the ball exactly three times before each serve.

“If I bounce the ball more than three times then I’ll get distracted, and if I bounce it less than three then it is just too quick and not enough time for me to think,” Swain said.

According to Swain, three bounces is the perfect number because it gives her just enough time to know where and how hard she wants to hit it with the right amount of rhythm in her serve.

After her matches, Swain likes to drink the same protein shake every time to rebuild her energy: vanilla flavored muscle milk.

Swain’s Matches

9/27 vs. Kiara Guiati (Bulldogs): Swain believes that what most helped in her 6-1, 6-0 defeat was serving down the middle instead of the outside. Swain thinks she plays her best when she gets her first serves down, and then is aggressive by coming in to volley or slice.

9/29 vs. Jenna Dorian (Hornets): After a momentum-shifting first set which resulted in a Hornets win with a score of 6-4, Dorian was able to finish Swain off in the second set 6-2 recording Swain’s first loss of the season.