Indiana University Athletics
McGaffigan Makes Tennis a Family Affair
2/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 20, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - For junior Laura McGaffigan, her roots in Big Ten tennis extend outside of Indiana University. In fact, tennis has become a family affair for McGaffigan, whose sisters Jenny and Katie played for Illinois and Wisconsin, respectively.
McGaffigan, who boasts a 16-5 career record in singles and a 12-8 career mark in doubles in Big Ten play, feels that the experiences she had growing up playing with her sisters greatly helped the development of her own game.
"It was nice because I always felt like I had someone to hit with," McGaffigan said. "They were great people to practice with and they both taught me a lot."
Jenny McGaffigan graduated from the University of Illinois in June 2004. During her four years in Champaign, Jenny became the program's all-time leader in both singles and doubles victories. Katie McGaffigan played for the University of Wisconsin through June 2005 and was a two-time All Big Ten Team selection.
The three McGaffigan sisters all played competitively together during Laura's freshman year at Bettendorf High School in Davenport, Iowa. During the 2000 season, Laura and Jenny won the state doubles title, while in 2001, Laura repeated as state doubles champion, this time with her sister Katie.
However, each sister went their separate ways for college, although Laura did consider following in the footsteps of her sisters.
"I would have loved to play on the same college team as Jenny or Katie," Laura said. "But I ultimately decided on Indiana because of the coaches, team and the school."
McGaffigan has come a long way since her freshman year at IU, working her way up the ranks in both singles and doubles.
"Laura has moved from No. 5 singles her freshman year, to No. 3 her sophomore year, to No. 2 this year," Indiana head coach Lin Loring said. "She is still adjusting to the different caliber of play. The game is much faster at No. 2 and she is working hard to change her game accordingly."
In teaming with senior Sarah Batty, McGaffigan is ranked No. 32 nationally and competing at the No. 1 doubles position for the Hoosiers. The duo has compiled a record of 16-5 in non-conference play, in addition to its 12-8 record in the Big Ten. McGaffigan feels that the changes she has made to her game have aided in her improvements.
"My coaches and I have spent a lot of time on my serve and it is starting to really pay off," McGaffigan said. "I would say that my overhand is the strongest part of my game now, and it is also my favorite shot."
As McGaffigan and the Hoosiers head into the final stretch of the season, the team's goals remain unchanged.
"Win the Big Ten and make it into the NCAA tournament," McGaffigan said.
Hopefully, the success of the two previous McGaffigans will mean success for Laura and the rest of the Hoosiers.
