Aug. 3, 2015
By David Dawson | Subscribe to Commodore Nation
Vanderbilt’s Sydney Campbell and her teammates on the women’s tennis team have suddenly become rock stars in the Commodore community. And it happened about as fast as one of Campbell’s serves. With their victory over UCLA on May 19, Campbell and the Commodores claimed a national championship  and instantly became icons among Vanderbilt fans all over the globe. Campbell, a sophomore from Nashville, recently sat down to discuss how everything fell into place for the team, which captured both SEC and NCAA titles in the span of a few weeks.
COMMODORE NATION: Take us back to the championship match against UCLA. What was the mindset for you and your teammates going into the match?
Sydney Campbell: We went out there knowing that it was an incredible moment; a moment that most people don’t get during their lives — just the chance to even play for a national title. So we went out there with no pressure, no expectations. We said, “we are just going to go play tennis and we are going to have a lot of fun doing it.” The thing about our team is that we fought so hard and we were going to stay out there and make the other team pry it from our hands. We weren’t going to give anything to them — and in the end, I think that is what served us best.
CN: So when did it actually sink for you and your teammates? Was there an exact moment when you said to yourself, “Wow. We are National Champions?”
CAMPBELL: Well, right after it happened, there is a lot of emotion, knowing that all the work you put in during the year  and really, your whole life - has paid off. This is what we always wanted, and just knowing that we’d finally achieved one of those long-term goals, is amazing. We were all so excited and just crying and everything. But in terms of when it actually sunk in, I think it might have been that night. It was about 2 a.m., and I was laying in bed. And me and my roommate, Ashleigh Antal, both were wide awake in our room. And we just kind of looked at each other and said “We did it!” I guess that was the first time that I kind of let my brain shut down and realized “wow, it actually happened.”
CN: What’s it been like since you’ve been back in Nashville? How much of a whirlwind has it been for you and your teammates?
CAMPBELL: It’s been really cool. It was definitely a little overwhelming at first, (laughs), but now it’s awesome to look back on it and see that our hard work paid off, and to see that people recognize our hard work and the success we had. Everyone has been really nice about reaching out to us and making us feel loved. All of Commodore Nation has been great.
CN: Your team was a perfect example of a group that “peaked at the right time.” How fun was it to be apart of that and see it all come together the way it did?
CAMPBELL: It was great. I’d say the turning point for us came in February. We were 4-4 on Feb. 15, I believe, and we played Baylor in our next match. We came out and played a solid match at all nine positions — and that was kind of when it clicked for us. From then on, we just got better and better and better. And at the SEC Tournament, after we lost to Texas A&M, we came back after that match and we were really hungry and motivated. And then, when we won it, I think we all realized how good we could actually be and how much talent we had. So it was a big confidence builder to win the SEC Tournament, and I think that winning the SEC title was a big reason that we were able to handle the NCAA Tournament the way we did.
CN: Is there ever a day when you don’t pick up a tennis racket? And if so, what’s that day like for you?
CAMPBELL: Yes, actually, I try to do that about once a week, just to kind of give my mind and body a rest. But as for what I do on those days, that sort of depends on what time of year it is. During the school year, I go to class, do a lot of homework and maybe try to find a friend that has an off day and maybe we can do something. But in the summer, it’s more about trying to hang out with my family or hang out with my high school friends who don’t go to Vanderbilt and just relaxing with them. We don’t have an agenda, which is nice.
CN: The Vanderbilt teams, as a whole, have been on a great run over the past year, including the baseball team winning the national championship last June. How much impact did the recent success have on your team?
CAMPBELL: Well, with the baseball team last year, we all watched it and we all saw how they were treated and what it meant to the Vanderbilt fans. And we saw how excited the (VU players) were, and it kind of motivated us and made us say “we want that, too” … And then watching women’s golf get their rings during the football game last fall, we were all texting each other to say “We want that next year.” So we kind of used those things as motivation. We went into this season knowing that we could win it, but we didn’t put any pressure on ourselves. We just went out and enjoyed it, the good and the bad, every moment. And it worked out for us in the end.
