If Dick Vitale ever covered women's tennis, he could quickly spot out two "diaper dandies" on Marquette's squad.
Freshmen Paola Calderon of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico and Olga Fischer of Berlin have hit the ground running on the women's tennis team this season. Calderon has notched a 3-3 record at No. 1 singles in the team's first six matches. Fischer, who didn't join the team until January, grabbed her first win at the No. 1 singles spot last Sunday.
Coach Jody Bronson admits having two freshmen trade time in the top spot is rather uncommon.
"I would say it's kind of unusual," Bronson said. "But, you know, it is what it is. They're both very, very talented."
The tandem split time at the top slot in a double-header at the Helfaer Tennis Stadium on Sunday. Calderon defeated Lilian Asuaje of Northern Illinois 6-4, 6-3 in the day's opening match. Later, Fischer bested Emily Lawent of Wisconsin-Green Bay 6-1, 6-2.
Bronson said the key to success for the two young Golden Eagles is doing the little things right.
"The thing we've tried to talk to them about is that when you play at the top, all these little things make such a difference in how you're competing against that number one player," she said. "Everybody can hit the ball well, so it's really paying attention to the details that allows you to beat your opponent."
Fischer's start at Marquette was not a particularly smooth one. Bronson said she did not shake her jet lag for at least a week and had some difficulty playing on a different court surface.
"It's really taken her these few weeks to really kind of get comfortable and settle in," Bronson said.
After dropping two straight matches against ranked opponents — the No. 19 Michigan Wolverines and No. 30 Indiana Hoosiers — Marquette has now won three straight, notching 7-0 victories versus IUPUI on Friday and Northern Illinois and Green Bay on Sunday, setting their current record at 5-2.
On Friday, the Golden Eagles host their first Big East match of season against the Louisville at 3 p.m. Senior Robin Metzler, who won two singles matches on Sunday including a 6-0, 6-0 shutout at No. 3 singles against Green Bay, said the team's recent success should give it momentum heading into the match.
"It's a huge match, so this weekend was huge for a lot of the girls to get some confidence," Metzler said.
Sophomore Christina Ruiz, coming off victories at No. 3 and No. 2 singles on Sunday, agrees the team is up to the challenge.
"We're really excited," Ruiz said. "We had a close one with Louisville last year, and we have a great lineup this year, so I know after this weekend we all feel really good. We're just pumped up, it's going to be a good weekend."