With the men’s NAIA Tennis Championships appearance of last year in the back of their mind, both the men’s and women’s team have this year’s national tournament in sight.

Five Bison come off an appearance in last year’s NAIA Tennis Championships. Bruno Scacalosi, Gustavo Schaefer, Peter McCorkle, Andrew Sharp and Scott Milner all return with that experience and look to repeat again this year.

“Going to nationals last year was huge for the men’s team at OBU and I hope they realize how huge it was to go so young. We went with a bunch of freshman and sophomores last year,” said coach Sue Dick.

“We are in a good position, experience-wise, to have a return to the national tournament, but it’s all going to be in how bad these guys want it and on their game day, did they bring their game,” she said.

The team lost only one player from last year, Tim Landvatter, who played in the No. 1 spot.

“Bruno was every bit as strong as Tim was in the No. 1 division, but being able to have him and move everybody down gave us more depth and so we’re going to be a little bit short on depth in the spring. We’ll see what happens,” Dick said.

Like last year, McCorkle suffered an injury in the fall.

“That’s been his life story at OBU. I am concerned about that,” said Dick. “The wear and tear of competition when you start playing matches two or three times a week, all out, that’s going to be the real tell-tale with Peter.”

To go along with the returning five, either junior D.J. Reeves or sophomore Mitch Frank will take the No. 6 singles slot.

The Region VI Championship, and bid to the national tournament, will likely come down to OBU and Oklahoma Christian.

“I think we can beat them again this year. The big question is do they believe they can beat them? I hope they do,” said Dick.

The women’s side also has a plethora of returnees. The team will look to the two upperclassmen for leadership. Kaitlin Pascucci comes back for her senior season and Brooke Mowery returns as the lone junior.

“Katlin is match-tough; she’s tournament-tough. She’s an excellent competitor and I’m hoping that that toughness will wear off on the kids and show them you’ve got to get out on that court and you’ve got to play,” Dick said. “I’ve seen Katlin grind out matches just by fighting and winning them. And Brooke is just full of desire. She’s seen the improvement in herself and she’s winning matches, she’s playing higher up on the ladder.”

Four sophomores also come back with a year under their belt.

“[Camber Robinett] is playing great,” said Dick. “This is a different player than from high school already just in a year. Molly Cariker is going to be a key position as well. Peige Davis, you can’t count her out in doubles, especially. She and Molly make a really good doubles team.”

Sarah Alexander goes into the year with No. 1 doubles experience to go along with singles play.

Three new faces will play vital roles for the Lady Bison. Freshmen Katie Halbesleben and Brittany Byrd join the team.

“They’re going to be playing in key positions. Brittany will probably be at [No.] 2 and Katie will probably be at [No.] 3 and those are two positions in past we have really struggled with. We feel like those are two of the stronger girls that we’ve had in a while,” Dick said.

The women also got transfer Samantha Attard from Australia to fill the No. 1 singles spot.

“Bringing Samantha in has been nothing but positive because now we’ve got a girl that is capable of holding her own in the No. 1 position and that could make the difference right off the bat,” said Dick.

The men aren’t the only ones using last year’s tournament appearance as motivation. They Lady Bison “want that experience. They want to be able to say ‘Hey, I went to the national tournament.’ They want to see what it’s all about,” Dick said.

Both squads face a tough schedule with a road trip to Kentucky and Florida, where they will go up against national powerhouses. Each team will take on a semifinalist from last year’s national tournament—Embry-Riddle for the men and Lindsey Wilson for the women—along with other national contenders.

“In order to get the better competition, we have to go to them and see how we stack up against them,” Dick said. “We may not win every match, we may not even win the dual, but I think we’re at a point where we can be competitive. And that’s the first step.”