The Communique

Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Brandon Williams Kirkwood student Luke Johnson, Ag Business major, prepares to return a shot as Ryan Anderon, Liberal Arts major, watches. The Kirkwood tennis club meets on Mondays at 3 p.m. at the courts.

Lace up those sneakers and pick up those racquets because the Tennis Club is looking for more players to get into the game.

Kirkwood's Tennis Club is a United States Tennis Association (USTA) sponsored club that plays competitively against other club teams such as UNI, Drake and Iowa State University. However, this club isn't for just experienced players, it's for anyone who enjoys playing tennis.

"If you like tennis, we have a place for you on the club," said Kevin Nebergall , coach of the tennis club. The club practices on Mondays at 3 p.m. at the tennis courts near the Auto Collision and Environmental Training Center. Nebergall said he's willing to work with players to try to schedule times if they can't make the meetings.

Nebergall emphasizes that the club is more for fun than anything else and the players agree. "I just enjoy it, it's just for fun and to get some exercise," said Ryan Anderson, a Liberal Arts major. Luke Johnson, an Ag. Business major, is Anderson's roommate and plays as well. "I've always enjoyed playing tennis," said Johnson, "Me and my roommate always used to go play tennis on a court in Marengo, Iowa."

The club plays according to the World Team Tennis format, which includes men's and women's singles, women's and men's doubles and mixed doubles. The team that wins the most matches wins the meet. Nebergall tries to arrange as many meets as possible and transportation for these meets is paid for by the club. "We pay for everything except for the racquets," Nebergall said. The tennis club sometimes attends regional competitions and has been invited to go to Omaha for a regional competition this year.

Those who are interested in tennis are more than welcome to attend a practice. "The more the merrier," said Nebergall. "I know we have a lot of good players who played in high school that would have a lot of success at this level."

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