The University of Mississippi Athletics
Senior Duo Leaves Legacy
4/15/2011 | Women's Tennis
April 15, 2011
By Kim Ling,
Associate Media Relations Director
Winners. Champions. Leaders. Teammates. Excellence. These are just a few of the words that describe this year's senior class.
Laura van de Stroet and Connor Vogel have been a part of helping return Ole Miss to national prominence in college tennis. Van de Stroet, a native of Waalre, Holland, and Vogel of Germantown, Tenn., will be honored for their accomplishments prior to Saturday's final home match against Mississippi State.
The two have left their mark at Ole Miss both on and off the court.
The 2010 season will go down as one of the best in recent memory at Ole Miss, and both van de Stroet and Vogel played a huge role in the team's success. They helped lead the Rebels to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, the SEC West Championship and a final national ranking of No. 17 on their way to earning All-SEC honors.
Van de Stroet's career began in the fall of 2007.
"I had some friends that were already playing college tennis over here. I heard good things from them," said van de Stroet of her decision to come to the U.S. "I always dreamed of going pro, but you have to be realistic. I didn't want to give up tennis completely, and I thought college tennis would be a great combination."
Vogel took a slightly different path, going to Tennessee out of high school. After two years, she transferred to Ole Miss in the fall of 2008 and admits it was the best decision she's ever made.
"When I came here, I didn't have any expectations. I was a little down on tennis and wasn't having as much fun as I had growing up with the game," Vogel said. "But the last two years have made me love the game more than I ever have, which is why it's going to be really sad when it's over. After my first two years of college, I never imagined I would be All-SEC first team or competing in the [ITA] All-American."
Both have been a part of many memorable moments at Ole Miss, but helping the Rebels make it back to the Sweet Sixteen topped their list.
"That was the most exciting time of my entire college career. Winning at [Georgia Tech] as a team was one of the greatest moments I've ever had in sports," Vogel said.
Van de Stroet agreed. "Beating Georgia Tech last year and making the [NCAA] Sweet Sixteen was special. Even though we lost to Florida it was such a great match. I felt like everyone believed in the fact that we could beat one of the best teams in the country and we almost did. It was such a great last match [of the year]. It was a great team moment."
Expectations coming into this year were high considering the Rebels returned five of the top six from last year and added two talented freshmen. Sometimes life throws you a curveball. Injuries have plagued most of the team all season long and both van de Stroet and Vogel have been among those having to deal with an injury.
"It's frustrating, especially for both me and Connor, because we've both been hurt. You work hard all fall and during Christmas break to be able to peak during the SEC season. I sat out three SEC matches, and that's not fun. You want to be able to play and be out there with your teammates. But it is what it is, and sometimes you can't control what happens."
Everybody is starting to get healthy again just in time for the postseason, and both seniors know that with everybody healthy and playing like last year anything is possible.
"If everybody gets healthy, we could make a run this year like we did last year and get to the Sweet Sixteen. We have two to three weeks off after the SEC Championship, and that will give a lot of people time to come back healthy and playing at their best," Vogel said. "All of our injuries have occurred during the season when you don't have time to rest. With those three weeks, hopefully we'll come out better and ready to make a run."
"I want to beat Mississippi State," said van de Stroet, on where the team goes from here. "We don't know exactly where we'll end up in the SEC, but we would love to play one of the top seeds again. Last year we won so many close matches, and this year, even though we've lost more, we're so close. Everyone is getting a little healthier each week, and I really believe that we can beat those teams."
While the two seniors have accomplished a lot individually, they both would gladly give it back for a few more team wins this year.
"I used to like tennis as an individual sport, but in college you really learn to see it as a team sport," van de Stroet said. "Before I came here, I just wanted to win my matches and do well in tournaments, but now I would rather lose both my doubles and singles as long as the team wins then win both and lose as a team."
"I am going to miss the camaraderie. I am going to miss the team and the coaches," Vogel said. Our coaches have been behind me 100 percent since I've been here. Coming out of high school you become part of a team with girls from everywhere, and you end up forming a bond that lasts a lifetime. Being from Memphis, I am definitely more open-minded and more cultured than I would have been. I have a lot of cool places to visit."
Head coach Mark Beyers talked of the importance of the seniors and what they've added to the program.
"In terms of wins, they have obviously meant a lot. In terms of leadership and work ethic, they've meant so much," Beyers said. "That may be hard for people on the outside to see. If you look at the total amount of wins, that will certainly be missed, but if you look at the leadership and the work ethic that they bring everyday, we will certainly miss that."
Performance on the court is easy for people to see, but what the players do off the courts isn't always noticed. Both van de Stroet and Vogel are ITA Scholar-Athletes, members of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and regulars on the University Honor Roll. They will both graduate in May - van de Stroet with a degree in Marketing, and Vogel with a degree in Journalism/Marketing Communications. Van de Stroet will return to her native country next fall to attend graduate school towards an MBA in International Business. Vogel is still deciding what her future plans are.
"I am taking it one day at a time. I've thought about it. But, the more I think about it, my head starts to hurt," she said laughing. "I still want to play college tennis and try not to think about having to get a job and move on."
Both would like their senior year to last as long as possible, hopefully ending with a trip to Palo Alto, Calif., site of this year's NCAA Final 16.
