Drew Hubbard, seated middle, was joined by her parents seated, Kirsten Hubbard and Todd Sutton, and in back, her grandparents and Trinity tennis coaches Jayme Lowe and Courtney Whipker when she signed to play tennis at Hanover College.
Arv Koontz | The Tribune
When Drew Hubbard began playing tennis her freshman year at Trinity Lutheran High School she quickly fell in love with the sport.
She likes the sport so much that she has decided to play at the next level and on Friday she signed to play tennis at Hanover College beginning this fall.
“I really love Hanover’s campus,” she said. “It’s a smaller campus so they have smaller classes. I really like Madison, I like the area. My grandpa (Jeff Hubbard) went there so I’m a little biased for that. I just like the overall atmosphere, and I’ve met some people from Hanover and they are awesome people to be around.”
The signing was especially meaningful for Jeff Hubbard as she said he signed to play baseball at Hanover College 50 years ago.
“At the beginning of my high school career, I found tennis to be more chilled than volleyball,” Hubbard said. “Volleyball, being a team sport, transitioning to tennis being a single-person sport I just like being able to depend on myself, knowing that I can do it.”
She mentioned that the individual success makes her happy.
“It makes me proud knowing that I can do it on my own and that I can be a factor for my team winning games,” Hubbard said. “It’s a lot different than volleyball, I would say, in that aspect, and I just think I enjoy being on my own and growing and watching myself improve.”
She started her freshman year playing No. 1 doubles, then switched to No. 3 singles midway through the season. Hubbard played No. 2 singles her sophomore year, and has played No. 1 singles the past two seasons.
“You’ve got to be on it from the very beginning,” she said about playing the best player from the opposing school.
“Winning the first set is definitely motivation to push forward and do well your second set because, honestly tennis is a big mental game, so if you tell yourself that you can do it, and you can get that first set in you should be good to go as long as your determined to win that second set.
“I think I’m a very consistent player. I think I’m quick on the court. I’m working on being able to place balls better. My serve is getting better. There’s definitely room for improvement, but I think right now I’m very consistent with my forehand. I definitely need to work some more on my backhand.”
Hubbard was named Trinity’s most valuable player last season, and she was named the Cougars’ most improved player her freshman and sophomore seasons.
“As I’m going into college I’m definitely looking for improvement, but I think my game is pretty solid right now,” she said.
She said she feels like her best strategy to win points is to play on the baseline. “I like to play back. I stay back most of the time. I think I’ve had a pretty good senior season.”
Cougars Head Coach Jayme Lowe said she feels Drew can contribute to the Hanover program. Lowe was an assistant tennis coach at Trinity for two years before becoming head coach.
“I think she has a lot of promise and I’m looking forward to seeing how she does there and in a new and even more competitive environment,” Lowe said. “Having connections with her teammates and is able to really work on her game, and can continue to grow as a tennis player.”
“All of her skills over the four years have really improved,” Lowe added. “She is very concerned with her technique and making sure she is doing things so she is at her peak performance.”
Lowe said Hubbard has a lot of strong points to her game.
“Drew is strong in a lot of different ways,” she said. “A main way she has made her way through a lot of wins is her stamina. She can just outlast a lot of opponents, and just her determination. She is a gritty player, and she will get down there and get after every hit possible, and she can really lock in mentally.”
“She has a lot of power. She is always concerned with having power across her game, and I think that has really been beneficial for her. “
Hubbard said she is glad she chose to attend Trinity Lutheran.
“I’ve always wanted to go to a Lutheran High School because I went to all Lutheran schools, and my friends went to Trinity,” Hubbard said. “I love the sports here, I love the people here, the faculty. The smaller class sizes is what I’m used to. I just love the overall atmosphere at Trinity.”
She plans to major in psychology at Hanover.