Lauryn Douglas 2023 ITA Midwest Singles Champion

UW-Whitewater Athletics

Douglas Rules the Court

Sophomore Lauryn Douglas aces ITA tournament and earns a spot in ITA Cup competition.

By Abby Chalmers - Contributing Writer

10/18/2023 10:25:00 AM

Lauryn Douglas took a deep breath, calming her nerves as she waited for her Grinnell College opponent to serve the ball. Her hands shook as she gripped her tennis racquet. It was 40-15, and all she needed to do was win one more point. One more point, and the match would be over. One more point, and she would be the champion of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division III Women’s Midwest Region Singles tournament.

She sent a prayer up as she did before every point. But this one was different.

God, give me strength for this last point.

Then came the serve. Douglas returned it with ease and watched as her opponent hit the ball back.

Out.

And with that quick point, Douglas became an All-American tennis player, punching her ticket to the ITA Cup tournament in Rome, Georgia, where she would compete against the 15 other top DIII players in the country.

“It just felt kind of unreal,” Douglas said. “When I won, I was like, ‘Wow, I’m an All-American now. This is crazy.’”

Her victory had been months in the making, a goal spurred on by her successful freshman year. Douglas, a Mankato West High School graduate, played No. 1 singles and–partnered with fellow sophomore Julia Baber– No. 1 doubles for the Royals. After earning a record of 12-8 in singles and 15-5 in doubles, Douglas was named All-MIAC in both singles and doubles.

Coach Drew Fernelius said that he never doubted Douglas’ ability to take on the top spot on the team, noting that her “sheer athleticism” and left-handed advantage set her apart.

“She obviously embraced the challenge,” he said. “And if you look at her results from last year, had some good results. Number one singles is a pretty big thing, especially as a freshman… and she had to really step into that over a process of time.”

Douglas’ success on the court comes from going above and beyond what is required. In addition to giving her all at team practices during the season, she hits with the men’s team, lifts weights, runs and constantly asks Fernelius to hit extra with her.

“Lauryn puts in the work when people aren’t watching,” he said. “[She’s] different and special in that regard. She goes out of her way to contact me [to hit] probably more than any player I’ve had.”

Team captain Emma Thole added that Douglas’ victory in the ITA tournament wasn’t a surprise to her.

“Honestly, there was no doubt in my mind that Lauryn would go far in the ITA because she is incredibly driven and worked extremely hard in the offseason. It was so fun to see her succeed because she really deserved it.”

Emma Thole

In addition to bringing a new level of competition to the team through her performance on the court, Douglas exemplifies what it means to be a good teammate. Thole said that even amid the stress and pressure of the ITA tournament, Douglas wasn’t just focusing on herself but also “prioritizing cheering everyone else on” in their matches.

“She brings joy to our team and is very intentional towards building relationships with the team on and off the court,” Thole said.

Fernelius added that Douglas’ impact on her team was evident in how they responded to her ITA win. Both the men and women’s teams greeted Douglas at the tennis courts with cake and balloons when she returned from the tournament to celebrate her success.

Due to the lack of live scoring and streaming of the match, Fernelius had also posted on Facebook that he would send individual text updates of the score to anyone who was interested–over 80 people responded with interest in Douglas’ success. After she won, Fernelius received a great number of congratulatory messages meant for her.

“The number of texts and responses within the first five minutes after she was done was incredible,” he said.

After winning the regional tournament, Douglas headed down to Rome, Georgia, to compete in the national tournament. She said that she didn’t have any expectations for the tournament and that she wanted to “just enjoy it.”

“I’m just hoping to be competitive,” she said, adding that she wanted to go in with the same mindset of playing with freedom that she’d had in the regional tournament.

Fernelius echoed Douglas’ perspective.

“This is a bonus,” he said. “We have no expectations, win or lose, but our expectations are for her to play every point as hard as she can, and I have no doubt that she’ll do that.”

Douglas took to the court in Rome at 12:30 on October 12 and competed against Carnegie Mellon University senior and seasoned ITA competitor Danna Taylor. Taylor defeated Douglas 6-1, 6-2. She then fell in her next match in the consolation bracket.

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