It is safe to say that the Valparaiso Men’s Tennis team is
in the midst of their most successful season in program history. At 16-5 and
2-0 in Horizon League play, the men look poised to win their league for the
first time in school history, building off of their second place finish to
Green Bay last season.
For senior Danny Oakes, this is a welcome change from when
he enrolled in school his freshman year.
“We had three straight seasons where we didn’t win a
conference match,” Oakes said. “The two years before my freshman season and my
first year here, we didn’t win one single match in the Horizon League.”
Valpo has never been known to have a dominant tennis team,
which is why it is a nice surprise to see their success this season. Valpo
Men’s Tennis doesn’t have the pedigree that the Men’s Basketball team does, but
the program has hit a point in their growth similar to what men’s basketball
currently faces.
“We’ve gotten to the point now where none of the ranked
teams want to play us, just like the basketball team,” Oakes said. “Nobody
wants to lose to a mid-major program like ours because it makes them look bad
and they’re only doing us a favor by scheduling us. It really is the same
situation our men’s basketball program is in.”
Unfortunately for Oakes, the continued success of the
program has put him in a situation where he and his peers were recruited over.
The majority of the top seven on the team are underclassmen. Oakes strictly
plays doubles, but even then he is far enough down on the depth chart that
there are meets where he won’t even play or get to finish his match. On top of
that, Oakes has battled an ankle injury that had him sidelined for several
weeks recently. Instead of pouting about how his senior year isn’t having the ending
he wanted, Oakes and the other seniors have taken it upon themselves to embrace
being leaders for the younger players on the team.
“I’m like the team dad,” said Oakes. “Everybody comes to me
for everything. They ask me questions about homework, ask me where to go, call
me to help out with any drama that might be going on. If they ever need
anything, they always come to me.”
If you’re looking for a comparison to help describe Oakes’
game, demeanor, and leadership, look no further than his favorite professional
basketball team and their emotional leader.
“If I could compare myself to an NBA player, I’d probably
choose Joakim Noah. Not just because I’m a Bulls fan, but because he is kind of
the leader of the team. He talks a lot of trash and yells when he plays. I’m
always saying stuff and making noise when I play to get guys fired up.”
Despite not competing as much this season, Oakes will still
graduate as one of the more decorated members in the history of the Valpo Men’s
Tennis program. Oakes is currently 9th in singles winning
percentage, 8th in doubles winning percentage, 9th all
time in doubles victories, and 8th in career singles winning
percentage. There is no doubt that as the team starts to look towards the
stretch run of their season, they’ll continue to look to Oakes’ leadership and
experience to help them reach their goals.
