“Coaching while still play-
ing has allowed me to see
the game differently. I be-
lieve that becoming a coach
has actually made me a bet-
ter player. I am able to bet-
ter understand many of the
strategies and mechanics
of the sport,” stated Wit-
tig. “There have been times
where I have been tested as
a coach. Being able to teach
the players something that
I might already be able to
see requires patience. I’ve
learned that communica-
tion is very important and
that there has to be more
than one way to explain
things. One thing that I have
taken away from coaching is
that I can continue to learn
from the girls.”
Before Wittig roams the
courts as coach again this
spring, she finished a very
successful senior campaign
at D’Youville. This season it
seemed like everything just
clicked for Wittig. She was
in the best shape of her life,
and everything on the court
seemed to go smooth.
It’s fun when a player is in
the zone like that. It felt like
Wittig could do no wrong,
which was exactly how it
was going. Her best season
came just as the Spartans
clinched a playoff spot. It
couldn’t have gone any bet-
ter.
“This season a lot seemed
to fall into place for me.
My team received several
new incoming freshman
who were very skilled and
passionate. Having a team
around me who wanted to
take the game as seriously
as me was motivating. I was
lucky enough to get a great
doubles partner, Lauren
Karoglan,” explained Wit-
tig. Even though it was our
first year playing together,
we meshed great. On top of
this, I contribute my suc-
cess to my physical shape. I
would say that I was proba-
bly in the best shape of my
life going into this season.
I completed my fifth triath-
lon this summer, which re-
quired months of training
due to it being a Formula 1
tri- which means you swim,
bike, run … and then do it all
again. Lastly, coaching my
first season of varsity tennis
in the spring of 2018 enabled
me to look at the game with
a different perspective. Al-
though I’ve coached youth
and recreation tennis for the
last six summers, I was able
to see a whole new element
of the game after coaching
varsity and thinking delving
deeper into strategy.”
Being able to think her
way through matches more
made Wittig stronger men-
tally. Maybe earlier in her
career if things weren’t go-
ing right it was have been
easy for Wittig to get down
on herself.
But, not this season. Even
when she was beaten handi-
ly by Fredonia the first time
they met, the result never
got her down. She went into
the second meeting with so
much confidence. Wittig
made sure to improve on
her mental side of the game.
As being mentally strong is
just as important as bing
physical fit.
“Facing a tough oppo-
nent and losing can be very
humbling. This past season
I played against Fredonia’s
second singles player twice.
The first time I lost misera-
bly and was very upset about
my performance. Although
I lost again the second time
we faced off, it did not feel
as awful. I put up a great
fight. It was one of the lon-
gest matches of my career,
lasting almost three hours.
I knew I left everything on
the court, played some of
the best tennis of my life,
and gave it my all. It truly
was humbling. I used expe-
riences like this to mentally
prepare for each match and
go into them ready to give it
my all,” stated Wittig. “Stay-
ing mentally focused in ten-
nis is especially important
considering it is often an
individual sport. When I
am playing singles, I tend to
talk myself through tough
points and frustrations. I
utilize deep breathing to
calm myself down and es-
pecially before serving. In
doubles, I rely a great deal
on my partner. Communi-
cating is key, as it is in any
sport. Before matches I try
to visualize myself hitting
great shots and getting my
serves in. I also have a ritual
warm up routine that I com-
plete before my matches.”
As her college career
comes to an end, it’s amaz-
ing to see all the accomplish-
ments that were bestowed
APRIL 2019 | SportsUnion
upon Wittig. She finishes
her Spartans’ career as one
of the most decorated ten-
nis players to come out of
the school.
While she didn’t pay too
close attention to it during
her career, and her final sea-
son, she now can look back
fondly on what has been
one amazing career. And,
one that will be hard to top.
“In my college tennis ca-
reer at D’Youville, I have also
been lucky enough to find
great success. I played first
doubles and singles fresh-
man through junior year
and first doubles and sec-
ond singles my senior year,”
stated Wittig. “Each year
so far, I have won the MVP
award for my team. I’ve got-
ten voted by my teammates
to receive the sportsman-
ship award for two years. I
also was given a huge recog-
nition this past year when I
received the Female Scholar
Athlete of the Year award.
This is the highest level of
achievement in academics
and athleticism that can
be received by a D’Youville
student. I was awarded the
FAR Award “’Best of the
Rest’ from the AMCC. I’ve
won the AMCC Player of the
Week, D’Youville’s athlete of
the week three times, and
was named to the second
19
team All-Conference in the
AMCC after this past sea-
son.”
While her college career is
over, tennis isn’t. Wittig will
continue to be a force on
the courts. She will contin-
ue to play the sport that she
loves, with a passion that
not many have.
She also will continue to
bring that passion and love
for the game to the coaching
side. There is no better feel-
ing than seeing someone
take the direction of a coach
and put it to great use. Wit-
tig hopes her passions and
love for tennis will rub off
on the next generation of
players.
“I still cannot believe that
my college tennis career is
over. However, this does
not mean that tennis will no
longer be a part of my life.
Saying that this sport has
given me a lot over the years
is an understatement,” said
Wittig. “Tennis has taught
me so much, both on and off
the court. Tennis has been a
huge part of my life and will
continue to be. It is a life-
long sport. I will continue
to play as long as my body
physically allows it. I also
hope to continue to share
my passion and love for the
sport through coaching.”