COLUMBIA, Mo. - With the summer reaching its end and student-athletes returning to Columbia in a matter of weeks, Mizzou Athletics will catch up with members of the Mizzou tennis program and see how their personal summer has gone.
In the fifth edition of Mizzou tennis "Summer Update" we sat down with sophomore Cassidy Spearman. The Laguna Nigel, Calif. native enjoyed a successful first-year campaign in Columbia last season, and looks to continue her advancement this upcoming 2014-15 season.
During her freshman season at Mizzou, Spearman went 9-16 in singles play and had an overall doubles record of 11-15. The Tigers newcomer finished the 2013-14 campaign in style, as she ended the season on a three match winning streak.
With her first year of collegiate tennis in the rearview window, Spearman learned a bevy of valuable lessons alongside her Mizzou teammates and coaches.
"I learned so much playing at such a high level of tennis at Mizzou," Spearman said. "Through thick and thin, our team stuck together and I truly learned what it meant to be a team player. It made me grow and mature both athletically and personally. Going through many obstacles last season taught me how to be strong and tough in order to get through any type of match. Sometimes you learn the hard way, but in the end it all paid off and helped develop me in to the player and person I am today."
Spearman is one of four returning letter winners this season for head coach Sasha Schmid and the Tigers. Her greatest success last year came in doubles competition, and in particular with teammate Kelli Hine. The duo finished on an excellent 3-1 run to end 2013-14, and will once again be a formidable pairing this upcoming year.
"Doubles is a lot of fun for me, and I love the feeling of putting volleys away," Spearman said. "Kelli (Hine) has amazing skills on the court, so she sets me up at the net all the time which allows us to work well together. It took us a little bit of time to get used to each other's game and personality on court in the fall season, but once we both got a sense of each other we started having a lot fun playing together. We started moving well on the court together which allowed us to excel in our matches."
During the tennis offseason, many players across the nation generally compete in tournaments in order to maintain their skills and abilities. This past July, Spearman competed in the ITA Laguna Niguel Summer College Circuit Tournament and enjoyed outstanding success. In fact, the soon to be Tigers sophomore advanced to the tournament's singles final round.
"It was a lot of fun to get back out and compete at the Laguna Niguel summer ITA tournament," Spearman exclaimed. "I was training really hard all summer so it was cool to see it paid off in some way during the summer in this tournament. If I'm being honest, I was extremely nervous my first couple matches, and they were not very pretty."
"However, it was in those moments where I felt my training of last season kick in and I stayed calm and kept playing until I felt my rhythm again. I didn't let anything frazzle me which made me happy, because I got to see the growth I made over this year and the summer."
Spearman and Mizzou tennis are set to begin their 2014 fall season on Sept. 19 in Kansas City, Mo. with the Mizzou Invite. Check-in to MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou tennis.
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