Coyote Named Player to Watch in Women’s Tennis

USD tennis player Bea Havlickova has been listed as a Summit League Player to Watch for the Spring 2024 season.

Havlickova believes that this distinction is not only a result of last year’s season but also a result of the hard work she put in throughout the offseason.

“It means a lot because when I am not at USD, I work a lot,” Havlickova said.

Havlickova is one of seven athletes selected to be on the Preseason Watch List with one player from each Summit League team.

This is the first time that Havlickova has been named on the Watch List after being selected as a first-team All-Summit League player during the 2023 tennis season.

The Coyotes have been projected to finish in second place in the preseason polls, behind the Denver Pioneers. Havlickova believes in her team and thinks that they have a good chance of making it far this season.

“Lots of freshmen joined the team this year so we have a lot of excitement and it feels better like we can go far (in the Summit League). I really like the girls and it is really important for me to feel comfortable,” Havlickova said.

Feeling comfortable is exactly what made USD so appealing to Havlickova as she was deciding which college to attend, however, it wasn’t only the girls on the team that made it easy for her in making that decision; head coach Brett Barnett also played a big part in her decision.

“Coach Brett Barnett is the main reason I came here. I can always share stuff with him and he is really good and I liked him in our greeting call,” Havlickova said.

Despite Havlickova’s liking to USD, she does sometimes miss her home team throughout the offseason. Since she is from Louny, Czech Republic she doesn’t often get the same support at home as when she is at college.

“Not many teams play overseas so it feels much different to have the team’s support,” Havlickova said.

While not knowing what the future holds for Havlickova she doesn’t try to worry about what is to come as she is busy putting her focus on this season.

“I would say after college I would not want to go professional, so I want to put all my efforts into my last two years in college. I don’t want to disappoint my coaches so I want to give it my all in practices,” Havlickova said.

Havlickova has posted a record of 26-19 in single matches in her two years in a Coyotes jersey, and she is hoping to further improve that record during this season.