Bond’s women’s tennis team is proving size does not determine the fight at UniSport Nationals in Perth.
Bond won two of its four pool matches against Monash and ANU, while falling to the University of Sydney and Deakin.
Team leader Livvy Devonport said the team has embraced the challenge of competing against some of the country’s larger universities, with Bond being one of the smallest institutions at the tournament.
“We are the smallest uni by a long way,” Devonport said.
“So we’re doing really well in that sense.”
The team has spent the year preparing for Nationals, with players selected through a competitive trial process that narrows a group of around 10 to 12 potential players down to six.
For Devonport, the tournament has also marked her return to competitive tennis after taking a year away from competition to focus on her psychology honours.
“I really had to lock in for my honours. I was writing my thesis, and I wanted to give everything to that,” she said.
After a year away from competition, Devonport said finding her form again has been one of the biggest challenges of the tournament.
“After not competing for a year, you kind of have to find your form again,” she said.
“But I’m loving it.”
Despite the challenge, Devonport said the Bond team has continued to take the fight to their opponents.
“Whether we win or lose, we always take it to our opponents as much as we can,” she said.
That mentality was tested when Bond was drawn in Pool one alongside top seeds the University of Sydney, who have been dominating the competition.
Rather than being overwhelmed by the challenge, Devonport said the team embraced the opportunity to test itself against some of the game's strongest players.
“We just took that, made the most of it, embraced it, played some great tennis,” she said.
“You just have to put your head down and work."
The team has trained hard together throughout the year while also building a strong friendship outside of the competition.
“We all get along really well. We’re really good friends outside of the court, so it just makes it even better to play doubles and singles and cheer each other on,” she said.
That connection has helped the team stay positive through a challenging tournament.
Bond will now play for fifth-to-eighth place as the team continues its Nationals campaign.
For Devonport, though, the tournament is about more than where the team finishes.
“At the end of the day, the biggest positive for me is just having fun with the girls, bonding and playing some great tennis.”