Natalie Martin, Sandra Sasidharan and Hayley Homburg.

All three Eastern tennis players have one unified objective:

The Ohio Valley Conference title and the rings the players receive for winning the title.

These three – who went a combined 55-10 in singles’ play last season – and two other returning players, will be a strong force in the league.

“They’re three people who really enjoy the team and excel in competitive situations,” said Eastern head tennis coach John Blackburn.

Martin, a junior, was dominant last season. She developed her game at the net and placed the ball near the end line. The Montreal native finished 20-2 at No. 2 singles – the best on the team. Martin also dominated the conference. She finished 9-1 in the OVC and was named First-Team All-OVC.

Martin relies on the power of her serves and returns and ends matches quickly before the opponent can rally.

“Natalie and I are similar in our play,” Homburg said. “That’s why we’re such great doubles partners. She’s a great all court-player. Her net game is ridiculous. You don’t want to get her at the net even when she’s playing singles.”

Sasidharan, a senior, can make her case for the OVC Player of the Year. She won her first 17 matches and finished 19-2 overall. She was also named First-Team All-OVC and finished 8-2 in the conference.

Sasidharan’s ground strokes wear out opponents, and she has a powerful return game as more of a volley-type player.

“(Sasidharan) just rips it from the baseline,” Martin said. “There’s no one that does it like her. I guess she scares a lot of people in the OVC with that even though she’s small in stature. It’s impressive that she can hit the ball so hard.”

Homburg is the youngest of the trio.

She was the OVC Freshman of the Year after she posted a 16-6 record and finished 9-1 in the league. Her lone conference loss came in two sets (6-4, 7-6) to Samford’s Sara McKey.

“(Homburg’s) also becoming good at the style of moving her opponent around,” Blackburn said.

Homburg’s game is based on a combination of Martin’s and Sasidharan’s style. She has powerful strokes like Martin but can also be a volley-type player like Sasidharan.

“I think Hayley has really grown as player,” Martin said. “She can do well at the net and the baseline. She has a huge serve.”

As a doubles combination, Homburg and Martin went 17-4 and became one of the top double teams in the OVC. Their best win came against Murray State’s No. 1 doubles pair, Anna Lask and her sister, Rachael.

“We’re working on a lot more aggressive styles at the net, so hopefully the players we had trouble with last year – we’re going to have less of a hard time,” Martin said.

Kevin Murphy can be reached at 581-7944 or kjmurphy@eiu.edu.

The panthers women’s tennis team returned their top two females in sophomore Hayley Homburg and Junior Natalie Martin. (Photo Illustration By John Bailey)

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