By Jayme Scott
Senior Laurie Hargis, once a soccer player, is developing her tennis skills, helping the women’s tennis team to have a full roster and be eligible to play this season. Hagris made the final decision to legitimately “take one for the team” and officially joined the tennis team mid-January when one of the players could not return due to health reasons and the team needed an extra player.
Hargis played soccer for 17 years but also played in summer tennis leagues for fun all her life. “I definitely like soccer a lot more than tennis because I like the contact and how hard it pushes me mentally and physically plus, I am also a lot better at soccer,” she said.
Hargis said there are similarities between the two sports, with the biggest similarities being the quick movements and “reading” the ball.
However, training for soccer was more intense. She said she has not had to do anything in tennis nearly as intense as her soccer training. Hargis said soccer involves foot skills, endurance, and strength but tennis is more hand-eye coordination.
Junior tennis teammate Channing Varnum said Hargis has adapted to the team very easily. “I think it made her adjustment easier because she was used to being on a team anyways,” Channing said.
Channing said Hargis is athletic and the team finds it incredible that she is a multi-sport Division I athlete.
“I will never forget coming back from an away match and Laurie went into the SURF (Student University Recreational Facility) to lift after playing. We all thought she was crazy,” Channing said.
Women’s tennis coach Will Davis, who started his Bellarmine coaching career in August, said he enjoys having Hargis on the team because she is very coachable, scrappy and athletic.
“She has had it tough. It’s been easy to adapt because she knows the game, but at the same time, she has played IU, Kentucky - who was ranked top 50 at the time - and Tennessee - who was top 25 at the time - so she has had to play the tougher teams,” Davis said. Davis also said he sees Hargis use soccer skills because she has some of the best footwork on the team and amazing hand-eye coordination.
Hargis plays in both single and double matches. She is the team’s seventh player and plays in a match if someone is not there or is injured. The team must have six players to compete. The team’s No. 4 women’s player is unavailable to travel, and Hargis plays in all the away matches. Hargis’ record for the season is 0-12 for singles and 0-9 for doubles with her partner Maja Kozerski.
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