by Steven Fernandez
Daily Lobo
Last year's most improved player on the Lobo women's tennis team said she still has room to improve.
That should bode well for the rest of her team.
Head coach Kathy Kolankiewicz said junior Nora Quintal should be a key to UNM's success this year, after making a big progression last year.
"The biggest factor with Nora is that she's become a more consistent player and she took a huge jump last year," Kolankiewicz said.
After winning the Most Improved Player Award, Quintal said she is anxious to start swinging away this season.
"I'm really excited. I think it's going to be a really good season," she said. "Last year, I won most improved player, and my goal is to improve even more."
Kolankiewicz said Quintal has a positive attitude and is always willing to learn and do all the small things to make her game better. Last year it paid off as Quintal finished with a singles record of 11-3, third best on the team.
"She's a good, hard worker," Kolankiewicz said. "She went from not playing her first year to playing No. 4 singles. She had quite a few good wins at that position."
Despite the jump Quintal has seen in her game, she and her coach believe she has yet to reach her full potential.
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"We're constantly working on her footwork," Kolankiewicz said. "She's got such nice, powerful strokes, and when she has quick feet it's going to raise her to another level."
Quintal, who was born in Veracruz, Mexico, said another reason for her success is the relationship she has with her teammates. Four other players on the women's roster are from overseas as well. Of the remaining five, only one is a native New Mexican. Quintal said she adjusted to her surroundings easier because of that.
"I think that it makes everyone understand each other more because we all come from different places," she said. "We learn to share with people that have different backgrounds."
In general, Quintal said the team gets along well. They are all friends who spend a lot of time with each other and that helps them play better, she said.
"Team chemistry is key for the team, and I think we have real good chemistry. It's going to help us a lot," Quintal said.
With all those positives, Quintal said she expects a lot of good things from the team as a whole, in addition to her individual expectations.
"This year we have the best staff we've ever had," she said. "I think we can make it to nationals and hopefully to the Sweet 16."
Kolankiewicz has high expectations for the team as well. She said Quintal can be a difference-maker this year. Two of the women's players, Maja Kovacek and Iva Gersic, are ranked in the top 100 in the nation. Kolankiewicz said she is looking for some of the other girls to step up, and she hopes Quintal will be one of them.
"She hits a heavy, powerful ball, and if she continues to work on her consistency, she can be a solid factor for us," Kolankiewicz said.
