Competition & Compassion

Northeastern club tennis gives high-level athletes a lower-stakes stage to continue playing the sport they love.

Written by Amelia Ballingall. Photos courtesy of Christine Lee.

Northeastern may not have a varsity tennis team, but its club team has just as much passion for the sport as any college-sponsored group. 

“Being on e-board, I care the most about having a team that really cares about tennis and wants to compete to a certain extent,” said Christine Lee, a second year computer science and design major and the women’s team’s treasurer. “I want us to do well and to care about how we do.”

The team competes at a high level, traveling to different schools for tournaments every other week as part of the United States Tennis Association’s Tennis on Campus program. The team is comprised of about 30 men and 30 women, and each side sends five players to a tournament, where they compete in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. 

“We play against Harvard, BU, Brown, MIT, Yale, Dartmouth sometimes, WPI,” said Natalia Roca Ward, a third year international affairs major and the women’s club tennis president. “Once a year, we go to Georgetown. And then nationals is a main [tournament], which is in Arizona this year.”

In order to qualify for nationals, a team must earn a bid at sectionals. This season’s sectionals were hosted by Smith College and Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Northeastern tennis placed sixth out of 32 teams, gaining them a ticket to nationals. 

In early April, the Huskies traveled to Sunrise, Arizona for the nationwide competition, where they claimed a spot in the Gold bracket and finished fifteenth in the country. 

Many of the club’s players had opportunities to attend varsity programs, but chose to join Northeastern’s team instead.

“I was really drawn in by Northeastern’s club tennis team because they’re one of the top in the section, so I was between playing Division III or Division I, but I felt like club tennis was an easier time commitment and not too serious compared with the college level,” said Shane Lerkvikarn, a third year electrical engineering major and president of the men’s tennis team. 

Unlike varsity teams, Northeastern’s club tennis players are only required to attend two practices each week—one for either men’s or women’s and a mixed practice—and many players participate in other on-campus activities as well. 

“It’s very good, it’s very fun. Our practices are mainly games. We don’t do drills or anything, which that’s normally the most boring part,” Roca Ward said. “There’s no conflicts; we mix very well and I think it’s a really good atmosphere.”

As the club tennis team is the highest level of the sport Northeastern has to offer, membership is highly coveted and joining is a competitive process. Tryouts take place at the beginning of each semester, but only a handful of spots are available to interested athletes. 

“Since we are a club sport, we have very limited spots each semester for people to join,” Lerkvikarn said. “In the past semesters, we had like 100 guys show up to tryouts, but we were only able to take like five or six.”

Tryouts always include both basic rallying and points play, but they look a little different depending on whether they happen during fall or spring. Fall tryouts have double the attendance, take place over the course of two days, and athletes have to be invited back for the second day. On the other hand, spring has a lower turnout and tryouts take just one day.

With many players coming to the team as an alternative to a varsity program, determination to join runs high.

“We have people that try out many, many times to get on the team because a lot of times, people don’t make it their first time trying out,” Lee said. “We have people that try out their third year, even some fifth years have tried out and joined just for their last year.”

But once you’re in it, you’re in it until you graduate, and players can forge their own paths on the team. Members can sign up for as many tournaments as they choose, depending on what level of competition they’re seeking from the team.  

“In order to get to nationals, we have to play sectionals. So those two are the main [tournaments] where I feel like people do feel like there’s pressure to win and it’s more competitive, but all the others are super chill. We don’t really care what the score is, we just go there to have fun, which I really enjoy. That’s one of the main things that I like a lot,” Roca Ward said. 

Although many players may choose to just have fun in practices and not participate in tournaments, a certain level of dedication is necessary to be a part of the team. In the winter, Carter Field’s tennis courts close and the Huskies have to travel to Weymouth Club, 30 minutes south of Northeastern’s campus, to practice. 

However, for these tennis lovers, a little distance doesn’t deter them.  

“I think because it’s something that I do enjoy, it doesn’t feel like I’m putting so much time into it,” Lee said. “It does take up some time, but it’s manageable and tennis is pretty flexible … You can always skip some practices if you need to attend other meetings or if you have other things for school.”

Being a part of the tennis team isn’t just about playing the sport; the ‘team’ element is crucial to how the club functions. 

“The team is like a second family,” Lee said. “I’ve met some of my closest friends on the tennis team. We don’t only play tennis together; we also do some group activities and we’ve had a couple trips together.”

Both during and outside of the tennis season, Northeastern club tennis hosts bonding events for its members, such as ski trips, group volunteering, banquets, and socials.

“Last semester was our first time doing a pop-up style event where we had all the members bring food and it was Christmas-themed as well, so there’s a lot of bonding moments,” Lerkvikan said.  

Overall, the members of Northeastern club tennis relish the opportunity to continue to play the sport many of them grew up with. 

“I always tell my parents and my family that being on club tennis at Northeastern is the best part,” Roca Ward said. “It’s just so fun, I crave it. To be able to find a community that we all like to do the same things: it’s one of the best things at Northeastern.”

With both passion and friendship evident on and off the court, the team has grown a devoted group of members and a foundation they hope will last for years to come. 

“I think there will always be people that will come to Northeastern and will want to try out for the team and be a part of the team,” Lee said. “We really just care about having people that are excited to play and want to play, so that’s something that I think will stay constant and will carry our team for a long time.”