On Sunday, April 13, Colgate women’s tennis capped off a successful weekend, beating both Bucknell University and Lafayette University to bounce back from a losing streak and secure their fifth-straight winning season with a record of 12-10.
Seniors and team captains Addie Eklund and Eliza Podlas were thrilled.
“[We] came out of the weekend being like, ‘That was the best weekend ever,’” senior captain Addie Eklund said. “I would say Bucknell is our biggest rival. So I wanted to win this match more than like any other match, and there was a lot of anticipation leading up to it.”
Eklund contributed to the Raiders’ tightly contested 4-3 victory over Bucknell, picking up wins in both her singles and doubles matches.
“It was a really special match to win,” Eklund said. “Everything played out exactly how I wanted it to.”
For their concluding match of the regular season, which was also the last regular season match ever for Eklund and Podlas, Colgate was able to sweep Lafayette in a 4-0 victory.
“With it being senior day, I think that everybody was motivated to play for the seniors, and kind of for a bigger thing than just themselves, like the team as a whole,” said sophomore Sophia Montero, who added to the victory with a singles win.
Even though the matches themselves were more underwhelming than those against Bucknell, Colgate’s emotions stayed high. The team decorated both Eklund and Podlas’ lockers and held a small ceremony in honor of their seniors — but the day’s significance was mostly commemorated with tears.
“I was definitely battling a lot of emotions,” Eklund admitted. “I was sobbing the whole van ride there. And then [Podlas] was crying after her match, even though she won. It just all came to an end in that match.”
“This team means everything to me, so it’s going to be tough leaving,” Podlas said. “My whole life is literally going to change — it was very emotional.”
Eklund will similarly miss the community that came with the team.
“Being a part of Colgate tennis has been part of my identity,” Eklund said. “Playing tennis has always been a part of my identity but then as I got to Colgate, I just adopted the culture and then I adopted a family that I will be leaving behind, which is really sad.”
“I will stand by this till the day I die — we have the best banter, we have the best camaraderie, we have the best coaches and we just have the best connection between all of us team-wise,” Podlas added. “You’re not only playing for yourself, but you’re playing for your team, and we all love each other.”
Both Podlas and Eklund talked about how their coaches play a huge part in fostering a strong bond throughout the team.
“We have such a good relationship with our coaches,” Podlas said. “We can come to them with anything, so I think that’s important to maintain great camaraderie and just that communication dynamic between all of us.”
“Our coaches like to stress that we work hard and play hard,” Eklund said. “It’s all about winning, they will do anything for a win, but they don’t put too much pressure on us. We’re really competitive, but at the same time we’re enjoying ourselves. So the combination of the two has helped us be successful but also really enjoy the program.”
The Raiders will be looking to continue their success on Thursday, April 24 to kick off the Patriot League Tournament. “At the moment, I feel very anxious but also excited to see what we can do […] I know we have a lot of potential,” Podlas said, who said that after her postseason experience last year she feels more prepared to succeed this year.
This article was written on Tuesday, April 22.
