In an interview with Chimes, new women’s tennis coach Tim Morey reflected on his past coaching experiences and on what he hopes to bring to the team going forward.

“I love the sport. I’ve been in it my whole life: my kids play it, I’ve coached it at the high school level… it’s been in my family’s blood,” he said. A walk-on for Notre Dame, Morey has been involved with tennis since he was very young. He played for the love of the sport and the faith-based angle he can take on it.

To  Morey, the character of the players is equally as important as their competence in the sport. “I think that already I’ve seen how well these women respond to challenges and how they respond to each other. It’s a fantastically tight-knit group of young women, and they’re really eager about playing. So, as a coach, that makes my job so much easier when you know you have women who are committed to getting better and who are committed to working hard.”

In accepting the position at Calvin, Morey said, “I’ve been working for an opportunity to get into collegiate coaching for a while. I’m very close with the outgoing coach, Kevin Van Haitsma, and have worked with him in the past. When he approached me about the position, it was the right time for where I was at in my career. I was really excited to apply for the position, and I’m even more excited to be here.”

When planning the upcoming season, Morey said that getting the right team chemistry will be crucial. “Getting through the first match is huge. We will really see where we’re at. And once we get through this first match, we can gauge if we have the right pairings and doubles, what more can we do in practices, and what we are doing well.”

The women’s tennis team had their first Morey-coached match on Feb. 6 against Cornerstone, where they won 6-2.