Tennis: Breaux makes mark – Longtime Cajun shines for UL women

Lafayette native Nicole Breaux felt right at home returning to the Hub City for her college tennis career. / Courtesy UL sports information

Special to the Advertiser, April 17, 2013

Most college tennis players don’t pick a school until late in their high school career.

Nicole Breaux, however, knew when she was little exactly where she wanted to go.

She played at Seven Lakes High in Katy, Texas, but was raised in Lafayette and still considers it her family hometown.

After earning all-Houston area honors as the No. 1 singles player at Seven Lakes, she had offers from other programs.

But when UL came calling, it didn’t take much convincing.

“I had always wanted to be a Ragin’ Cajun,” Breaux said. “Both of my parents (father Barry and mother Tricia) went to school here, and I grew up coming to all of the games.”

UL coach Greg Harkins signed a class of five freshmen loaded with talent, so – heading into the current season – Breaux was not necessarily one of the notable players on the team.

“Coming into the year I wasn’t sure if I would even be in the lineup this spring,” she said, “so I knew that I had to get to work and get better.”

Breaux did just that, making a strong statement in the fall by posting a 7-4 record in singles competition.

It was during that time that things started to click, despite her modest credentials compared to teammates.

“I was facing a senior from Lamar, and I beat her in straight sets,” Breaux said. “It was at that point I realized, ‘Hey, I can do this. I can beat girls that I probably wouldn’t have had a chance at defeating three months ago.’ ”

Harkins sensed similar progress.

“Nicole really stepped up and worked hard in the fall,” the Cajun coach said. “She battled through a lot of adversity, and it has made her a much stronger player.”

By the time UL’s spring season rolled around, Breaux hadn’t just worked her way into the lineup.

She also had earned a spot at the No. 2 singles position behind Sophie van den Aarssen, a sophomore from The Netherlands.

“You don’t see many freshmen that can come in and play that high in the lineup right away,” Harkins said.

Breaux took her licks early in the spring, but got things going at the end of a six-match road swing with a gritty 7-6, 7-6 victory over Kateryna Bugayenko of Stephen F. Austin to take the match.

The win propelled the freshman to a season-best four-match win streak that got Breaux over .500 on the season.

She’s stayed there much of the year.

Breaux finished the season with an 11-10 record, and will more than likely play on line two for the fifth-seeded Cajuns this week as they host the Sun Belt Conference Championship tournament that gets under way Thursday.

Breaux suggests much of her success is rooted in the fact she never really felt any pressure during the season, and instead was able to simply go out and play her game.

“Whenever I step out on the court I think to myself that I am not supposed to go out and win every match,” she said. “I think that gives me an edge, ’cause I don’t feel pressured to win each time out and I can just go out and play.

“I feel blessed because I honestly came here thinking I wasn’t going to play much this year, and now I am playing every day at the top of the lineup. Things can’t get any better.”

Click below for information on the 2013 Tennis Reunion on April 19 & 20, 2013.
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