CAUSING A RACKET
North Smithfield's Raskob seeks to build off stellar freshman season at Rhode Island College
NORTH SMITHFIELD – When Hailey Raskob began her freshman year as a member of the Rhode Island College women’s tennis team late last summer, she recalls having no preconceived notions, and her new coach, Adam Spring, reiterated that.
“The coaches sat us down for a team chat last August, before the season started; we were on the courts,” stated Raskob, who had just completed a stellar career at North Smithfield High a few months before. “Adam basically said that his goal for us was to improve upon the previous season (record-wise) as a team, and to try as hard as we could to improve individually.
“He told us he wanted only for us to play our game – and have fun doing it.”
It’s more than safe to say that the Anchorwomen had a blast. Not only did they surpass any expectations Spring or anyone else had, but they became one of the most successful contingents in school history.
Despite its relative youth, RIC closed its fall campaign with a perfect 14-0 slate, good enough to nail down the Little East Conference regular-season title, then registered two straight wins over Worcester State and Bridgewater State to nail down the LEC Tournament championship.
And, after a layoff over the winter,
Spring’s squad spent about six weeks preparing for the NCAA Division III Tournament, slated for Tufts University in late May. The Anchorwomen rolled to a 5-2 triumph over Nazareth College of Albany, N.Y. in the first round, but sustained a 5-0 defeat to the host Tufts.
All told, RIC finished with an overall record of 17-1.
“What a season!” stated Raskob, who played a key role to the team’s success, going 16-0 at Nos. 4 or 5 singles. “We were so excited. After the season, we decided to do some research, me and one of my best friends, Serena Bobola (a Cranston East grad who played No. 1 at RIC). We discovered we were only the second LEC team in history to make it to the second round of the NCAA D-III Tournament. Th other was Salem State (N.H.) in 2012.
“I really can’t believe how well this season went – beyond my wildest dreams,” she added. “When we played Tufts, they were ranked sixth in the nation in D-III.
“For me personally, I did better than I thought I would. In the Little East (tourney), we had a first-round bye because we had the No. 1 seed, but I didn’t figure into the scoring. I was one game away from clinching the win over Worcester State, but Grace Zangari beat me to it.
“We then went automatically into the finals against our archrivals, Bridgewater State, which had beaten us for the championship the year before. I ended up clinching that match (for the team); I defeated Olivia Sweeney (at No. 5 singles), 6-2, 6-4. It was thrilling!”
Raskob played in but didn’t figure in the scoring of either NCAA D-III clash.
“Hailey’s a very good player,” Spring noted recently. “When she was in high school, she was one of the top 20 players in the state. When I recruited her, I knew she’d have an impact on this team right away. I think she knows her game very well; when she’s out of the court, she plays her game, establishes her game. She’s also an aggressive baseliner and is able to put her opponents on their heels with her heavy top spin.
“The girl’s just a buzzsaw!” he continued. “She’s relentless. She tears it up. Her style of play really translates well to Division III collegiate tennis.
“As for the team, I can believe we had this great a season; I mean, you hope something like that is going to happen but you never say it will. I can honestly say I’m not surprised because all of the girls committed themselves to try to become great tennis players. They busted their butts to achieve this dream.
“After the fall, we started playing again in April to get back into tennis shape, and we scrimmaged Johnson & Wales, which also won its conference championship to prepare us. The girls recommitted themselves.”
Spring began watching Raskob’s style of play when she was a mere frosh for the Northmen. She played in the top spot that season and finished 9-6 individually, but earned All-State second-team and All-Division first-team honors as a result.
Over her final three years, she compiled a 45-4 mark playing mostly first singles, served as co-captain as a senior and also collected first-team All-Division accolades.
She indicated her parents got her interested in tennis when she was seven; they used to take her to the high school courts so she could “bang around” some tennis balls and test her mettle.
“My mom and dad (Debra and Greg) thought I had shown some interest in it, so they took me for lessons at ForeCourt in Cumberland,” she said. “It was nice in there, and I was eight when I started taking lessons. I ended up moving to Rally Point in Greenville my freshman year for more lessons, so I’ve had a lot of them.
“Essentially, I first saw Adam at the state tournament my freshman year,” she added. “He never officially approached me (because he couldn’t according to NCAA rules), but I know he spoke to y parents; they told me he was interested in me playing at RIC.
“I was thrilled about it, but I also didn’t want to dwell on it. I knew too many things could change. I didn’t want to concentrate too much on that, but – deep down – I always kind of knew I was going to go there because it was affordable; I also thought it would be nice to play there, so close to home. I thought it was the best option for me.
“It was hard work, but it was a really satisfying season. It was better than high school, for sure. Doing so well gave me a lot of confidence. I feel as if I grew as a tennis player, and Adam’s a phenomenal coach. He helped me a lot with my serve, and he made me feel really comfortable and relaxed about the match you have in front of you.
“He’s really good at communicating to you how to deal with pressure. A lot of times, I’d be worried about my matches, but he always made sure to tell us that we were completely prepared. He knows what he’s doing.”
Spring indicated he’s bringing in three new freshmen later this summer, and one is recent Mount St. Charles graduate Kaitlyn Koller, who played third singles.
“All 10 girls on my roster are capable of starting this coming season,” he said. “Naturally, they’re goin to have to battle each other to see where they stand on this team.”
Raskob’s reaction?
“I’m really looking forward to this season. I hope we can better what we did last year.”