The Elon University women’s tennis team has a lot to smile about these days. Behind star juniors Jordan Johnston and Frida Jansaker, the Phoenix are 12-3 overall and have solidified themselves among the nation’s elite programs.
“They’re doing a great job, they’re a really good doubles team,” said head coach Elizabeth Anderson. “They add a lot of leadership and energy to the team. They really do a lot for our team in so many ways, both on and off the court. They’re two of our hardest workers and two of our most determined players. They’re tremendous.”
The two have gone 13-2 this season while competing in Elon’s No. 1 doubles spot, a rate of success so difficult to attain in collegiate tennis that neither is bothered by their doubles loss March 14 against the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a match the Phoenix would eventually lose overall 4-3. The loss was just their second on the season.
“We lost to UNCG, but that’s fine,” Jansaker said. “That’s the thing. Real champions have the shortest memory, so I already forgot about that.”
The duo is ready to move on, and with their complementing styles of play, Jansaker sees no reason why the duo can’t use the rapport they’ve established to continue to find success as doubles partners throughout the remainder of the season.
“We’re very focused. When we’re on the court, it’s all business,” Jansaker said. “Another thing is we adjust our game to who we’re playing. We’re a very smart team, and tennis is a game of intelligence sometimes. We have a lot of tools that we can pull out at the right time.”
Johnston echoed Jansaker’s sentiment, but pointed instead to the pair’s friendship off the court to explain the success they enjoy as teammates.
“We’re very close off the court, and I think that speaks a lot to our success,” Johnston said. “We know each other, we know our games and we know what the other needs to succeed. Whether that’s pumping up the other or whether it’s being really firm. We kind of talk within each other, both game styles and personality-wise, because we both bring the best out of each other.”
Anderson has no trepidation in sending her two stars out in the No. 1 doubles position, knowing they’ll come out on top more often than not, helping her team to win a crucial doubles point toward the winning total.
“I have a lot of confidence in them, I think that they know exactly what they need to do in order to win and be successful,” Anderson said. “They prepare really well and when the time matters they go out there and they win a lot of matches for us, in both doubles and singles.”
Johnston believes Jansaker, whose 13-3 record at the No. 2 singles spot is tied with fellow junior Bryn Khoury for the best record on the team, is a valuable teammate to have because of her high character and her outstanding record in both doubles and singles.
“She is a very, very solid, strong part of this team,” Johnston said. “It’s always nice to look right next to me and know the person there is always going to be fighting, always going to be there for the team. She’s worked her way up the lineup and gained some confidence from having some key wins. She works hard and she’s always there for the team, both on and off the court.”
Johnston, whose self-admitted struggle in the No. 1 singles spot is evident in her 9-7 record, was nevertheless named the Southern Conference Player of the Week March 5, an honor Jansaker believes is well-deserved.
“She is leadership by example,” Jansaker said. “She’s won a lot of crucial matches for us at the one spot. She’s always ready to go. You never see her give up a match. She’s always someone you can depend on. She fights harder than anyone on our team. She’s always stepping up in both singles and doubles.”
Behind Johnston and Jansaker, the Phoenix was ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings for the first time in school history, at No. 59 — an accomplishment in which the significance is not lost on Johnston.
“Coach called us up and was like, ‘Guess what team is 59th in the country,’” Johnston said. “The ranking sheet, I’ve grown up following it and reading it week by week and to be on the list of the elite teams is something that I’ve always dreamed about. I’m so proud to say I was on this team that did it.”
After a loss March 10 to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Phoenix then dropped to No. 73 in the most recent national rankings. They then lost their second straight match to UNCG. Elon got back on track March 16 with a sweep of Western Carolina University, a win they hope will keep them among the nation’s elite.
Currently sitting on a 12-3 record, Anderson said no matter where the Phoenix is ranked, the ranking is a verification of her players’ year-round dedication to the program.
“It’s a big honor that we’ve been ranked,” Anderson said. “I think it’s a great testament to all the hard work that the girls are putting in. The rankings are a nice reward for that, because there are a lot of good teams out there. It’s very difficult to get ranked.”
Looking to rekindle the form that brought them an 11-game winning streak, the Phoenix will return to the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center on March 20 against the Davidson College Wildcats looking to improve upon the team’s first ever national ranking.