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Babel Brings “World” of Tennis Experience 12/12/2003 By Chris Weinman The members of Vanderbilt’s women’s tennis team were picking through their myriad collegiate choices around the time that they turned 18 years old. Meike Babel also was graduating high school at that time in her life. She chose, however, to try her hand on the professional women’s tennis circuit. For 10 years, Babel battled the world’s best players on the WTA Tour, rising all the way to No. 27 in singles and No. 45 in doubles. In the summer of 2003, Vanderbilt Head Women’s Tennis Coach Geoff Macdonald chose Babel as his assistant coach. At the time, described the hire simply as a “coup” for Vanderbilt tennis. “I really view the coaching job here as one where you co-coach: you bring in somebody who is incredibly good at what they do and you coach along with them,” Macdonald said. “Meike knows how to play and win at the very highest level, and she loves getting down in the trenches every day and doing individual work with the players.” Commodore players also raved about Babel’s arrival in Music City. “Meike is a great coach,” senior Aleke Tsoubanos said. “She has a lot of insight because she played on the tour for so long. To have someone that has seen what it’s like to play at the highest level and knows what you have to go through to get there is very valuable to the team. She already has helped us all grow as players.” “On the tennis court, Meike has been through everything that we are going through and more,” sophomore Ashley Schellhas added. “She is able to simplify things and always is very encouraging. She focuses on what we do well, rather than on the bad, and she is constantly reminding us of our strengths.” Babel says it’s not hard to stay positive with the Commodores. “I am getting to live my dream,” Babel said. “I am really, really happy here. I am coaching at the highest level of collegiate tennis. “[Positive] is the only way you can play. When I started out, I was too negative at times, and that really takes the fun out of it. It also helps that I really haven’t seen anything so far that I didn’t like.” On top of her extensive tour credentials, which include 19 Grand Slam appearances and a pair of ITF tour titles, Babel spent two years as an assistant coach at Tulane University, where she was named the 2003 ITA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year for leading the Green Wave to a conference championship. With the Commodores, Babel is pushing for even greater success, with four players ranked in the ITA’s pre-season poll in Tsoubanos, Schellhas, senior Kelly Schmandt and junior Audra Falk. Junior Annie Menees, now recovered from a 2002 foot injury, had a stellar fall season, as did freshmen additions Helene Stephens and Amanda Fish, the 2003 Summer Circuit Player of the Year. “I know what a privilege it is to be involved with such a high level of tennis,” Babel said. “Things are going well, as the fall results showed. I’m super excited about the upcoming season.” Both the Commodores and Babel know what it takes to win, and the combination of the two should make for an exciting spring in Nashville. |
