After the completion of a highly anticipated tennis court resurfacing at Simpson College, Iowa’s harsh weather has exposed bubbles and dead spots, leading to another tennis season without a home-court advantage.
The courts at the Buxton Tennis Complex were redone during the summer of 2025 and unveiled to the student body for the academic year. In the fall, Simpson’s tennis courts were viable for NCAA competition; however, as winter has thawed into spring, the courts have begun to display issues problematic enough for the men’s team not to compete at home this season.
Director of Tennis and head women’s tennis coach, Nicole Berger, said the courts were flawless at first.
“The courts were resurfaced this summer, and in the fall they looked incredible. The colors, the logos, everything was top-notch,” she said.
Once the temperatures rose this spring, however, the surface began to change.
“After the snow and freezing temperatures, bubbles started forming under the surface as things warmed up,” she said.
Bubbles create dead spots, meaning the tennis ball loses its bounce or is redirected. According to Berger, there are more dead spots now than before the resurfacing.
The players noticed this change immediately. Junior Blane Wallace said the team has adapted to the flawed courts but is frustrated with the problem.
“The ball goes a lot of different directions, bounces all sorts of ways, plus the dead spots, you would go to hit a ball, and it’ll just die. You know, can’t really compete with that, cause it’s a disadvantage for both teams,” he said.
Due to dead spots and unpredictable bounces, Simpson cannot host NCAA matches this spring. Simpson’s men’s tennis home meets have been relocated to other locations.
“During the week, we go to Norwalk High School or Drake University, and on Saturdays, we compete at Indianola High School. Luckily, it’s not that far to drive,” Wallace said.
Even though the other courts aren’t too far away, it still takes a toll on the team’s morale, especially for senior players.
“I mean, I feel bad for our senior, Grant Love, because he can’t compete at a home meet in his senior year. So, it’s kind of a disadvantage,” Wallace said.
Berger said the team can still practice on the courts for now since there is no concern for player safety, but the surface remains unpredictable. As temperatures continue to rise, she said there is a chance more bubbles will appear. Moisture trapped between the old layers of the court and the new surface is suspected to be the root of the problem, though the exact cause remains unknown.
“There’s nothing we could have done to prevent this,” Berger said.
The new resurfacing was expected to last five to ten years, and Simpson is holding the contractor to that expectation.
“We were told the courts would last five to ten years, so that’s what we’re holding them to,” Berger said. “We haven’t negotiated cost yet, but I’m hoping there’s zero cost to us.”
Currently, the best option for the tennis courts is to scrape and resurface the courts again. The athletic department and the contractors should reach a final decision and cost in the next two weeks.
Despite the uncertainty, Berger remains hopeful.
“I’m about 90% confident we’ll have playable courts again in the fall,” she said.
Until then, Simpson tennis will continue to practice on the surface while having to travel for every match, and hope the “top-notch” courts can soon play like it too.
