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Fankhanel at heart of Raiders� emergence By Kris Henry Head coach Gail Patton and senior ace Katie Fankhanel may not be on the same page, but that hasn�t slowed down the Southern Oregon women�s tennis team. The duo get along famously, so that�s not a concern. Where they differ is on Fankhanel�s ability to adjust to her role as a senior on a somewhat inexperienced Raider squad. Patton insists that Fankhanel�s mental toughness and competitive nature are the strengths of her game and are partly responsible for the team�s 6-0 start to the season. "Katie has a never-say-die attitude," says the third-year coach. "She�s always up for the challenge." Fankhanel�s 9-1 record (6-0 in doubles) and recent recognition as NAIA Region I player of the week seem to be evidence. But the Raiders� No. 1 singles and doubles player doesn�t see herself as the steady force Patton claims her to be. "I�ve never been so nervous in my life than this year," says the 22-year-old. "I get done with my matches and I�m still shaking. I just don�t know what to do with my nerves. I try to take some deep breaths and just hope that will work and everything will be OK." It should be Fankhanel�s opponents whose knees are knocking. Fankhanel, a two-time team most valuable player from West Albany High, has 90 career wins and is eight shy of surpassing former teammate McKenzie Walther for No. 1 on the school�s all-time victory list. She joins Judy Jonasson as the only Raiders to earn the NAIA regional player of the week honor. "We count on her, but it�s not like it�s up to Katie to win every match or else we won�t win," says Patton, who is 29-4-1 at SOU. "We have a really well-rounded team." The Raiders, in fact, are atop the NAIA Region I standings in the third-best season-opening effort in school history. The 6-0 start is identical to that of last year�s 12-2 team that spent two weeks in the NAIA rankings and finished second at the season-ending regional meet. Patton�s first SOU team in 1999 won its first nine, while the 1977 team under Joanne Widness set the standard with an 11-0 start. "Honestly, I didn�t think we�d do as well as we have so far this season," says Fankhanel. "It�s been really surprising how well we�ve played." Fankhanel�s success over the past few years hasn�t been a surprise, but Patton says it certainly has been a work in progress. "A little bit of her tennis was self-taught, so there were some mechanical aspects that, under pressure � not just with Katie but anybody � tend to break down," says the coach. "We worked to try and adjust those things and we worked on giving her more tools." Beyond the one-on-one work with Patton, Fankhanel has taken it upon herself to get better over the years as well. "She�s taken something away from every one of her matches and that has made her better in her next match," says Patton. "She�s become a well-rounded player, and that maturation process has been a lot of fun to watch." The next opportunity for growth will be Saturday when SOU takes on Shasta College at Redding, Calif. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.