On Aug. 8, Simpson Athletics announced the hiring of Nicole Berger as Director of Tennis, a newly developed position, and Head Women’s Tennis Coach.
Berger brings a multitude of skills to Simpson. She holds a degree in Professional Tennis Management and has experience in running a business. Berger was the owner of Paradise Tennis in Key West, FL for a decade.
Berger’s resume also contains an extensive background in coaching. Berger coached the Dowling Catholic High School boys tennis team for two years and led them to a state championship title in singles. She also coached the Norwalk High School boys tennis team to a state tournament this past season.
Simpson, however, was a “new opportunity to grow,” Berger said. . This is her first taste of coaching at the collegiate level. “It is an area I don’t have a lot of experience in, but then also I saw the growth potential from where the program is now to where it could be, which I was excited about,” Berger said.
Earlier this season, the women’s tennis team saw a 2-0 start, the best since 2017. “I want to attribute that to the girls’ work ethic,” Berger said. .
Maggie Hall, fifth year, and Grace Peck, sophomore, are both members of the women’s tennis team and can attest to the betterment of the team. “I have already seen a lot of improvement throughout our whole lineup, everyone has gotten a lot better,” Hall said.. “I feel like we have seen so much improvement in our game and we notice it in each other,” Peck said .
“The other thing we have really worked on is mental toughness,” Berger said. The mental aspect of the game has been overlooked in the past, and Hall believes that focusing on this element has taken everyone’s game to a new level.
“Last year, I feel like we all struggled more mentally with confidence and strategy and being able to pick ourselves up,” said Hall.
Peck seemed to agree with this sentiment, and said, “After every match we do a recap of our match, what we did good, what we did bad, what we want to improve upon, what we want to keep the same, and that is really good for us because it helps us reflect on how we played.”
Berger gave the program a much needed reset. “In the the first week she sat us down and laid out goals, and said that she knows that she has to earn our respect and that respect is mutual and it goes both ways, and I think that was really refreshing for us to hear, and so from the start we were very open minded” Peck said.
Berger’s goal is to continue pushing Simpson’s tennis programs forward. “I want to be a competitive team within the A-R-C Conference, have quality players that want to have fun and want to improve,” Berger said. Not only does she encourage the growth of skill and athleticism for each of her players, but she also wants to see them “grow as a person.”
Simpson women’s tennis kicked off conference play on Sept. 14 against Central in Indianola and were defeated 6-1. They will continue conference play on Sept. 20 as they travel to Nebraska Wesleyan.
