Relentless player

Last season, in her first year of varsity singles tennis, Gonzaga Prep’s Andrea Driscoll surprised not only the Greater Spokane League but also her own team as she advanced to regional play.

“It was a big surprise for us last year in how far she went, because it’s usually the No. 1 players who go from districts to regionals,” said Bullpup coach Donna Lenseigne.

“She just came out and surprised a lot of people because nobody had ever played her because she doesn’t do the tournaments and isn’t a club player. No one ever looks at No. 3’s as being a threat.

“When she started the district tournament, she upset a few teams’ No. 1 and No. 2 players because it takes an incredible amount of patience to beat her or you have to have really powerful approach shots and come up to the net and be aggressive and put the ball away,” Lenseigne said. “Andrea qualified to go to regionals just because of her good consistency.”

Driscoll qualified for regionals playing No. 3 singles for the Bullpups with a relentless baseline style that drives opponents crazy.

“I have more control on the baseline,” said Driscoll. “My game is more about consistency rather than trying to hit winning shots. They (opponents) usually get mad at themselves, and that’s what I try to do.”

“She doesn’t get rattled, and she’s very fit, so she can just stay out there for hours and just keep hitting the ball back,” said Lenseigne. “She is really mentally tough. She just digs in and is a real fierce competitor. They’ll try to play her game and just hit the ball back.

“There was one point that I watched last year when she hit the ball over 50 times for one point. People will do that for a while and then go, ‘I’m not going to be out here all day long and lose,’ so they decide to go for it. Then they make unforced errors trying to hurry up the point. Andrea’s just mentally strong and very tough,” Lenseigne said.

Driscoll’s ability to outlast opponents can be traced to her soccer background, a sport she played from first grade until her junior year at G-Prep.

“For me, there’s a lot less pressure than soccer,” said the Bullpup senior, who will play No. 2 singles this season. “Soccer is more of a team thing, and I think I like more of having myself out there. I feel like I’m not letting anyone down if I mess up, so there’s a lot less pressure. I didn’t play very much in soccer, and tennis is much more fun.”

“She doesn’t have a club tennis background, and I find that really refreshing,” Lenseigne said. “I like that in tennis because she doesn’t have a lot of expectations and pressures and all that comes with being a club tennis player.

“She played soccer, so her footwork is phenomenal. We just call her ‘the human backboard.’ She just gets every ball back, and she rarely makes a mistake. She just has really good court coverage and never gives up on a ball. She doesn’t hit a lot of winners, but she doesn’t have very many unforced errors either,” Lenseigne said.

“I think it’s refreshing for her to be in an individual sport,” the coach continued. “It’s a place for her to shine. I know she surprised herself.

“She played JV doubles her freshman and sophomore years. I think she just thrived playing singles because doubles is not her game because she does not like the net. I think she was always the ‘steady Eddie’ for her partner in the back and would set them up, but once she got to play singles, she went up our ladder very quickly.”

This season, Driscoll hopes to improve on her surprising performance of last year and advance to the state tournament. To do so, it may mean expanding her game.

“Serving and coming up to the net every once in a while,” said Driscoll. “Last year, I never came up to the net. Three times maybe in an entire season. There are a lot of things I can work on and improve, like hitting more winning shots.”

“The main difference I see with Andrea from last year to this year is she’s able to handle the harder ball,” said Lenseigne. “She’s driving the ball harder rather than just getting over the net. She’s getting more pace on the ball and more placement. She’s worked hard at that, developing her game. I don’t think she has any desire to play college tennis, but she wanted to do really well this year.”

That’s something Driscoll wants for her team as well this season.

“I think we look good,” said the senior. “We won our tournament in Bellarmine, so I think we look very strong.”