Surprise Virtual Senior Day for Wolverine Women's Tennis Trio Brought Reflection
5/7/2020 11:40:00 AM | Women's Tennis, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Wolverine women's tennis coach Ronni Bernstein said the underclassmen on her team had a surprise for the team's three seniors, whose final season ended after 11 matches and before Big Ten play began thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Virtual Senior Day occurred during Michigan strength and conditioning coach Jason Cole's weekly online gathering with the team. Bernstein and associate head coach Teryn Ashley-Fitch were invited onto the call to partake in the celebration of seniors Chiara Lommer (Glenview, Illinois), Giulia Pairone (Turin, Italy) and Lera Patiuk (Tel Aviv, Israel).
"We did a team Zoom call, and they actually didn't know we were doing this," said Bernstein of the senior trio. "They put up a background photo and congratulated them. And when they came on, they didn't realize it was actually senior day. It was the day (April 19) when we were supposed to be doing that in our final home game with Illinois.
"It was a nice way to honor them and all of our players helped. But one of them, Anca (Craciun), a Canadian (sophomore), put together the video. They all helped, but she was the one who had the thought and the idea. It included a lot of moments off the court with the team and the times they've had together. The biggest thing was that it wasn't about tennis, really. It was about relationships they'll always have. They were dancing and doing natural college kids stuff."
It made Bernstein recall her career at the University of Miami in Florida, where she played in her hometown before spending two years on the Women's Tennis Association professional tour.
"They are things that, as coaches, we don't see," said Bernstein, who won eight Big Ten regular-season championships and made eight NCAA Sweet 16s in 12 previous seasons. "But when I watched it, I saw a culture where these kids really cared about one another. It was more about this experience we talk about student-athletes having once they come to Michigan. They really got the most out of Michigan not only athletically and academically, but off the court, and really meeting a lot of people, and becoming better people. That was the coolest thing I got from the video, and it made me remember my college days. It's about your teammates. I don't remember the tennis matches anymore. I remember the experiences and good times, and having each other's back.
"I was surprised. They asked me about doing this at midweek, and it was really nice. Teryn and I didn't do much with it. They organized it. We weren't going to do much. It's such a different feeling than in years past. We've always honored them here, but the season ended so abruptly."
Top: The women's tennis team poses after its match against Central Florida earlier this season. Bottom left: Pairone (left) celebrates with Lommer after her tiebreak match-clinching win against UCF. Bottom right: Patiuk (center) with Craciun (left) and Lanie Van Linge
Parents generally come from all over the country and world to share senior-day recognition with their daughters on the Michigan team, and it's a face-to-face celebration of their athletic and academic careers here.
"We have Giulia, our Italian, whose parents were going to come over," said Bernstein. "But then they couldn't come (because of flight restrictions) and it just didn't happen. They had never been to the States, but they were going to come over.
"Chiara's mother lives in Chicago and her dad's in Italy, too. I know that her mom was coming. And then Lera's from Israel, and her mom was going to come over, too. We don't have that many international players, but we do with the seniors. But then the pandemic changed everything. It would've been cool. I'd never met Lera's mom or Giulia's parents."
Since then, the NCAA ruled that spring-sport seniors who lost the majority of what was to be their final seasons were being given one more school year in an attempt to have more meaningful senior experiences.
"Now, some of them are getting their senior seasons back," said Bernstein, "and so it's just such a weird time."
Pairone played two seasons at Michigan after transferring from the University of Arkansas, and played the majority of this season at No. 1 singles and was All-Big Ten last year. But she's now seeking to transfer to another school where she can best work on a two-year master's degree program.
"She's very thoughtful and an amazing student, too," Bernstein said of Pairone. "She's been a great addition for us. While we would like her to come back, she is going to go elsewhere. I'm talking to (other) coaches, and trying to help her find the right program."
Patiuk will graduate in December, and is interested in possibly attending graduate school. But she decided to finish her four-year playing career.
"She brought it every day and made us better in practices," said Bernstein. Patiuk was 28-29 in singles matches and 32-32 in doubles.
"Lommer is coming back and playing," said Bernstein. "She's in a one-year major in management at Ross (School of Business), and having her back will help us a lot. Chiara's the heart of our team and so competitive. She just does things the right way. So, to at least have one of them back is going to be super positive for us."
Lommer is 90-42 in singles matches and 48-56 in doubles over four seasons.
"When we were at Penn State (March 13) and our season was over before we could play there, it was shocking," said Bernstein, who has been at home in Ann Arbor with her husband, three children (ages 22, 18 and 16) and their puppy. "It was an abrupt end. And so it's nice to see them getting this season back if they want it.
"We had a non-conference season that was brutal (and brought a 5-6 record) and didn't get to play the Big Ten season, but we were in good shape going into that season. This year has been so tough, but I feel like those guys handled it really well. I'm sad about the way the season ended, but glad that everyone is safe and healthy. We'll get through this.
"There's usually closure for the seniors and they didn't get that. So, I think that virtual senior day was a nice way to bring it full circle for them. It was a good retrospective and allowed it all to sink in."
