LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – For each of the four years Texas Tech\u2019s women\u2019s head coach Adam Herendeen has led Lady Raider tennis, the team has ended up in the NCAA tournament. Prior to his arrival in 2022, the program was already on a ten-year streak. <\/p>\n
The Lady Raiders will start off the tournament 10 a.m. Saturday at Red & Charline McCombs field in Austin, where they will face the 19-3 Yale Bulldogs. From there, the winner of that matchup will play the winner of No. 8 Texas and Tarleton State. <\/p>\n
While last year\u2019s team opened the postseason hosting as Big 12 champs- both from the regular season and conference tournament, this year\u2019s team has fought off adversity to an 18-10 record and a 14th-straight NCAA tournament appearance. <\/p>\n
\u201cComing off last year, there were huge expectations and we kind of had some moments where we lost some close matches, we had a lot of injuries. We didn\u2019t know if we\u2019d have six players on a lot of those days, and our girls just kept fighting,\u201d Herendeen said. \u201cAnd, if you look at the end of the year, we beat No. 11 Arizona State, we beat No. 20 TCU, who obviously won the Big 12, and we feel like we can beat any team in the country, so I\u2019m really proud of our girls for how they\u2019ve stuck with them.\u201d <\/p>\n
Senior Yekaterina Dmitrichenko says veteran leadership on the team was a major factor in bringing the team back to the postseason. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s been really hard at some point. We had a lot of problems with our injuries, but I feel like since we are seniors, we stepped up at the right time, and we put our players in the right direction,\u201d she said. \u201cI think they listened to us because they trust us because we\u2019re good players and kind leaders leading by example, and now we\u2019re here and we\u2019re happy!\u201d <\/p>\n
Both Dmitrichenko and Herendeen were in their first year at Lubbock in 2023 when the Lady Raiders last played Yale- and won 4-0. The two schools have competed two other previous times with Tech winning both times. Dmitrichenko says she\u2019s grateful to have made an NCAA appearance each year she\u2019s been at Tech. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been four tournaments for me. It was really nice to make all four of them,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd, I\u2019m really proud of our coaches and my team that they gave me an opportunity to participate in all four of them in a row at Texas Tech.\u201d <\/p>\n
Since Lady Raider tennis saw so many moments of uncertainty this past season, Herendeen says he appreciates this year\u2019s opportunity that much more. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t take making the NCAA tournament for granted. We want to go and make a run, but it\u2019s an accomplishment every year to make it and something our program, I think we do year in and year out and it\u2019s easy to forget just how hard it is,\u201d Herendeen said. \u201cAnd so, I\u2019m really proud of our girls, especially in a year when a lot of things didn\u2019t go our way. For them sticking with it and making the tournament makes me really proud of them, and we\u2019re expecting to go make a run.\u201d <\/p>\n
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