From southeast Iowa to Mexico

Thursday
Jan 4, 2018 at 7:24 PM Jan 4, 2018 at 7:24 PM

By Matt Levins The Hawk Eye

Jenna Stewart never thought she would get the chance to play tennis at the collegiate level.

Hope Gray never dreamed she would play tennis at any level.

But the two southeast Iowa natives will be winging their way to Mexico on Sunday with the rest of the Central College men's and women's tennis teams for a week-long international study program.

The added benefit: the Dutch will get the opportunity to play outdoor tennis in warm weather while they are there, knocking off some of the winter rust from their games before the spring season starts up.

For Stewart, a graduate of Notre Dame High School, and Gray, a graduate of Fort Madison High School, it is the opportunity of a lifetime.

"I am super excited to get to go down there and experience their culture and play somebody who is not from the United States, or the Midwest in particular," said Stewart, a junior who went 10-3 in singles and 8-3 in doubles in the fall season. "I'm excited to play tennis outdoors for a change and hit some of the rust off."

"I'm pretty excited. I've never expected anything like this before," said Gray, who played just two matches in the fall. "It will be fun to play the sport I chose to play in college in another country."

Coach Ryun Ferrell, assistant Peter Greteman and 20 of Central's men's and women's players will stay at the college's residence in Merida, a former governor's mansion on the Yucatan peninsula. The squad will also spend two days in nearby Cancun.

The Dutch are slated to play against Universidad Marista in the Augusto Lugo Invitational. Lugo, a 1984 Central graduate who passed away several years ago, earned all-America honors and was a four-time league champion and three-time conference MVP, earning two NCAA tournament trips.

Central's men will compete at 9:30 a.m. January 9 with the women playing January 10.

The meet was organized by former Central standout Patricio Espinosa, who operates a tennis academy in Merida. Espinosa played at Central for one season, leading the Dutch to the 1978 Iowa Conference title. He was named the league MVP and was selected for the NCAA Division III Championships, advancing to the round of 32 to give Central a 10th-place national team finish. Espinosa's brother, Gabriel, is an associate professor of music at Central and a nationally recognized jazz musician.

"It's a great opportunity for our players to get some tennis experience and see a neat part of Mexico," Ferrell said. "They're very excited."

"I've been to Mexico before. We went to Texas last year, so this should be a fun experience," Stewart said. "I know Hope is super excited. I'm excited for all the girls that have never had a chance to go down there before."

"I'm excited to get the chance to play in Mexico and play some new people," Gray said. "It will be a fun experience to get to play some different people."

Stewart decided to pick up a tennis racquet when she was a freshman at Notre Dame. After watching Venus and Serena Williams on television, Stewart decided to give the sport a whirl. She has been playing ever since.

"I figured why not?" said Stewart, who is majoring in biochemistry and plans to apply to pharmacy school after graduating from Central next spring. "I tried out and made the varsity. I've been pursuing my dream of playing tennis for a while now."

Gray never had any desire to play tennis. But Fort Madison girls coach Amy Doherty encouraged her to give the sport a try. After playing on the JV team her first two years, Gray teamed with Katie Larsen and qualified for state in doubles in 2016. They missed advancing when they lost in a second-set tiebreaker.

"I did really bad my first year. I almost gave up but decided to keep going and give it a try," Gray said. "I don't like to quit anything. But I never thought I would play tennis in college. It's crazy."

Along with playing tennis, the Central players will visit a flamingo reserve, experience a zipline and visit Mayan ruins.

Ferrell said enthusiasm is building around the event.

"The city of Merida is excited to have us come," he said. "They've been putting out banners and posters promoting it. They're even talking about bringing a team to Iowa someday."

Thursday
Jan 4, 2018 at 7:24 PM Jan 4, 2018 at 7:24 PM

By Matt Levins The Hawk Eye

Jenna Stewart never thought she would get the chance to play tennis at the collegiate level.

Hope Gray never dreamed she would play tennis at any level.

But the two southeast Iowa natives will be winging their way to Mexico on Sunday with the rest of the Central College men's and women's tennis teams for a week-long international study program.

The added benefit: the Dutch will get the opportunity to play outdoor tennis in warm weather while they are there, knocking off some of the winter rust from their games before the spring season starts up.

For Stewart, a graduate of Notre Dame High School, and Gray, a graduate of Fort Madison High School, it is the opportunity of a lifetime.

"I am super excited to get to go down there and experience their culture and play somebody who is not from the United States, or the Midwest in particular," said Stewart, a junior who went 10-3 in singles and 8-3 in doubles in the fall season. "I'm excited to play tennis outdoors for a change and hit some of the rust off."

"I'm pretty excited. I've never expected anything like this before," said Gray, who played just two matches in the fall. "It will be fun to play the sport I chose to play in college in another country."

Coach Ryun Ferrell, assistant Peter Greteman and 20 of Central's men's and women's players will stay at the college's residence in Merida, a former governor's mansion on the Yucatan peninsula. The squad will also spend two days in nearby Cancun.

The Dutch are slated to play against Universidad Marista in the Augusto Lugo Invitational. Lugo, a 1984 Central graduate who passed away several years ago, earned all-America honors and was a four-time league champion and three-time conference MVP, earning two NCAA tournament trips.

Central's men will compete at 9:30 a.m. January 9 with the women playing January 10.

The meet was organized by former Central standout Patricio Espinosa, who operates a tennis academy in Merida. Espinosa played at Central for one season, leading the Dutch to the 1978 Iowa Conference title. He was named the league MVP and was selected for the NCAA Division III Championships, advancing to the round of 32 to give Central a 10th-place national team finish. Espinosa's brother, Gabriel, is an associate professor of music at Central and a nationally recognized jazz musician.

"It's a great opportunity for our players to get some tennis experience and see a neat part of Mexico," Ferrell said. "They're very excited."

"I've been to Mexico before. We went to Texas last year, so this should be a fun experience," Stewart said. "I know Hope is super excited. I'm excited for all the girls that have never had a chance to go down there before."

"I'm excited to get the chance to play in Mexico and play some new people," Gray said. "It will be a fun experience to get to play some different people."

Stewart decided to pick up a tennis racquet when she was a freshman at Notre Dame. After watching Venus and Serena Williams on television, Stewart decided to give the sport a whirl. She has been playing ever since.

"I figured why not?" said Stewart, who is majoring in biochemistry and plans to apply to pharmacy school after graduating from Central next spring. "I tried out and made the varsity. I've been pursuing my dream of playing tennis for a while now."

Gray never had any desire to play tennis. But Fort Madison girls coach Amy Doherty encouraged her to give the sport a try. After playing on the JV team her first two years, Gray teamed with Katie Larsen and qualified for state in doubles in 2016. They missed advancing when they lost in a second-set tiebreaker.

"I did really bad my first year. I almost gave up but decided to keep going and give it a try," Gray said. "I don't like to quit anything. But I never thought I would play tennis in college. It's crazy."

Along with playing tennis, the Central players will visit a flamingo reserve, experience a zipline and visit Mayan ruins.

Ferrell said enthusiasm is building around the event.

"The city of Merida is excited to have us come," he said. "They've been putting out banners and posters promoting it. They're even talking about bringing a team to Iowa someday."

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