The ULM women’s tennis team is hard at work preparing for the spring season. But not in the familiar confines of Raymond Heard Stadium. At least not today.

Instead, you’ll find them on the track. And at the mercy of coach Terrence De Jongh’s stopwatch. The girls have two options; finish their sprints in 45 seconds or start over.

Needless to say, they’re pushing themselves to avoid the latter. There isn’t a racket in sight. Or a even a single tennis ball. But there’s a method to the madness.

De Jongh called the fall exhibition season “dominant,” but for Warhawk tennis to finally capture that elusive Sun Belt championship, they’ll have to work for it. As a team.

“The fall was impressive, but now it’s a brand new season,” De Jongh said. “We have to be more team oriented with everything we do, including practice, running and drills.”

The spring season is scored based on the overall team performance in six singles and three doubles matches. The first team to win four of the nine total matches picks up the victory.

ULM finished the 2012 season with a 15-4 record before falling in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the second year in a row. This year’s team returns four starters, including team captain Medy Blankvoort, who produced a 16-1 record in singles play last season.

“Medy has been doing a lot of work pushing the team,” sophomore Sophie Rufyikiri said. “She’s our leader.”

De Jongh will be counting on Blankvoort–a first team All Sun-Belt selection–to anchor the team on the court, a role she takes seriously.

“I’m trying to push them, literally and figuratively, and lead by good example,” Blankvoort said.

Joining Blankvoort are veterans Rufyikiri and fellow sophomores Silvia Tumova and Ema Turudija. Freshmen Justyna Krol and Iris Van Leeuwen finished 3-0 in doubles play during the fall and are looking to build on that success in their first spring in the program. The team added freshman Petra Horakova to the roster this semester.

“I’m excited for all the girls. I think they can all have a tremendous year,” De Jongh said.