On a tight-knit squad of eight players, the Seton Hall tennis team will graduate five. Out of all the programs at the school, this is by far the highest turnover rate.
Mekeila Erspamer, Minja Gligic, Anniek Jansen, Michal Matson and Melody Taal all had their undergraduate careers ended early by COVID-19. Now, if all choose to leave and not express an extra year of eligibility, the tennis team will look much different next season. Although that was bound to happen, the sentiment is amplified by the shortened season in the spring 2020 semester.
After a disappointing start to the season at 3-9, the team was looking to rebound in the latter half of the spring with a better effort over the final eight games, including Big East play. The team was also still searching for its first home win of the year, currently sitting at 0-4 before everything ended.
For the seniors departing, they leave behind legacies, some over a full four years, in blue and white.
Erspamer, a native of Long Beach, California, picked up a few wins over her career, including a victory against opponents at Navy and Long Island. Gligic saw wins over her time as well, including doubles wins with Thandy Kangwa and a couple of bracket wins at respective 2019-20 tournaments.
In 2019-20, Jansen picked up five victories over a handful of matches in both singles and doubles. She also saw wins as far back as her freshman season, an impressive feat.
Matson and Taal had the most victories out of the bunch with multiple each year. The former doubles partners turned to singles have been mainstays for head coach Kevin McGlynn during his tenure, and each leave behind a fantastic legacy both on and off the court.
Kevin Kopf can be reached at kevin.kopf@student.shu.edu. Find him on Twitter @KevinKopfHWH.
