Hands + Hard Work + Humor = Hanna

Dear Wonderful Fans,

Last weekend we played our hearts out at the National Indoors. Unfortunately we lost to Florida in the semi-finals. But, it was an amazing run and I think we all learned a lot from the experience and we look forward to our next matches. We moved up to number 4 in the ITA National rankings so we’re all really excited about that! But, the hard work definitely does not stop there and we’re all working super hard as we move into our first outdoor matches this week.

I want to use this blog to introduce to you our other amazing freshman, Hanna Mar, or “Handsy Hanna.” Now if there is anyone’s touch that I envy, it is definitely Hanna’s. From absolutely amazing volleys to her “tweeners” (and I can’t explain this term to you… you’d have to see it for yourself), Hanna can basically hit any shot in the book. As I’m sure you all know, it’s an absolute treat to watch her play because of her vigorous on court energy. I know we can all learn from her diverse game.

Like Big Ray, Han brings her own special dimension to our team. First and foremost, she is one of the hardest workers on our team. No matter what she is doing, one can trust that she will give it her all. For example, when we have our Howser conditioning sessions Hanna does every drill, no matter how seemingly insignificant it seems, at 110% effort level. She also never complains. I have yet to hear an “agh, I don’t feel like this” or an “ I can’t” from her. This is a remarkable trait that I know I envy, especially because she’s still a freshman. She pushes us all to work harder.

However serious Hanna is about working hard, she is equally really witty and fun to be around. Firstly, it is important to note that Hanna is a math GENIOUS! This is no joke. But what makes us laugh is the way that she applies her mathematical skills to everyday situations. Actually at National Indoors last weekend we were practicing serves and instead of saying, “let’s switch sides” Han said, “let’s change angles.” Once Jamie indicated that he had no clue what she had said, Hanna tried to explain by using some mathematical lingo and trying to depict an angle with her hands. I can’t really express in words how funny this was but we all couldn’t breath we were laughing so hard.

Yes, Hanna has an amazingly mathematical brain but play a Taylor Swift song and you might want to put some earplugs in. I experienced this when I roomed with Hanna at a tournament in California last semester. I played “You Belong With Me” in the room and no sooner had it started playing when Hanna broke into really loud song. However, instead of keeping in tune, Han was about 5 tones off. This was HILLARIOUS! There have been many such instances. But what is even more amusing is the fact that Hanna actually admits to her “not -so -awesome” singing and does it in spite of everything. I know that we all absolutely treasure her goofiness!

GOOO HAN!

This week we’re heading into 2 matches. On Wednesday we play Wake Forest at 3PM at home.

On Friday we play NC State at 3PM away.

Please come out and show your support on Wednesday at our first outdoor match!

GO DUKE!

Yours in tennis,

Monica Gorny and the rest of DWT