Even when you have the talent, the desire and the love, if you don't believe in yourself and your team, you will never achieve greatness. Fortunately for the No. 3 Duke women's tennis team, Karen O'Sullivan believes.
When the Blue Devils travel to Palo Alto, Calif. in two weeks for the NCAA Championships, they will be seeking their first national title. After a trip to the Final Four last year that ended with a loss to No. 2 Stanford, Duke is reloaded and ready for another run at a team championship. With arguably the nation's two top players-sophomore Vanessa Webb and freshman Karin Miller-leading the way, and a solid quartet of No. 3-6 singles players to boot, the Blue Devils have all the ingredients for a title run.
Having never advanced beyond the national semifinals, however, the one thing Duke may be lacking is confidence in its ability to take the next step.
"The most important thing for us is to believe that we can do it," O'Sullivan said. "To know that when I go out on that court, that I can beat this team. That is something that I try and instill in the team, is the aspect of believing you can do it, along of course with working hard towards being able to do it."
Should the Blue Devils reach the Final Four again this year, they will likely face the same tough road to the championship with No. 2 Stanford and the top-ranked Florida Gators standing in their way. The experience and confidence of O'Sullivan-who along with fellow senior Wendy Fix was one of only two Duke players to win a match in last year's meeting with the Cardinal-could make the difference.
"Last year we thought that we could beat Florida, but that they should win," Duke coach Jamie Ashworth said. "This year we believe that Florida could beat us, but that we should beat them. I think that Karen brings a lot of that belief that this is the year [when] we could cause some damage."
It's not only O'Sullivan's attitude that promises to boost the Blue Devils in California, but also her characteristically consistent play, typically at third, fourth or fifth singles. This year, O'Sullivan has amassed a 24-8 singles record, bringing her career mark to 98-39. The NCAAs should provide O'Sullivan with the opportunity to earn at least two more singles wins, bringing her career total to 100, a feat accomplished by only eight other Blue Devil women.
That type of steady, strong play will be a must for Duke to advance through the tournament.
"I've learned in college that it's not so much where you play, it's just that you're there for the team and if you play to get that point, you win it," O'Sullivan said. "I'm feeling really good right now and I feel like I had a good spring this year. I went into ACCs feeling pretty good about myself and I played really well."
While O'Sullivan has racked up the wins in singles this year, she has not gained the same recognition as her teammates in the form of a national ranking. In doubles however, O'Sullivan has teamed with fellow senior Luanne Spadea to form the No. 6 doubles tandem in the country. The two have compiled a 21-9 record on the year and are playing together for the second straight year, a rarity in collegiate tennis.
"It helps when you play with someone for an extended period of time as opposed to switching each year, because you get used to playing with one another," O'Sullivan said. "Luanne and I have grown from being a lower-end team on our own team to the top of the country.
"Luanne and I also have a lot of fun out there. We laugh, we smile, we're not always overly serious and I think it helps when a team can do that. It definitely helps us to relax."
With one point being awarded for each match, doubles points can become a definitive factor in such tight competition. O'Sullivan's aggressive style of play could give Duke the edge.
"In doubles, I think she is one of the best attackers in the country," Ashworth said. "In doubles, there is a person who sets up and someone who finishes the point. And she is one of the best finishers in the country because she hits the ball so hard."
Off the court, O'Sullivan has shared her duties as captain with Fix after going solo last year.
"This year is a little bit different for me because I have Wendy as a co-captain, so we have one another. It's important to have leaders on a team and I think that the team knows that they can come to me because I am willing to help out in any way. Plus, it's been an honor to have the team select me-to feel that your team believes in you as a leader and knows that you are capable as a leader."
Fix also notes that contrasting style of the two has led to a more complete form of leadership.
"We each have different leadership qualities," Fix said. "She is a constant leader. She is not always the vocal one, but everyone can always count on her for a win and to fight hard and I think everyone on the team really respects her and what she says."
Sharing duties with Fix is nothing new to O'Sullivan, as the two have watched each other's career evolve at almost the exact same rate.
"Wendy and I came in together and we've been through a lot together over the four years," O'Sullivan said. "Even though there are more than two seniors, we are the ones who have been here since day one and experienced everything together, so we're close friends. I'm lucky to have someone like her as a teammate and as a friend and I'm definitely going to miss that."
That strong friendship has greatly benefited Fix as well.
"I really don't think I would have made it without Karen," Fix said. "I think she has constantly helped me through the days of tennis and given me advice and support, more as a friend than a teammate, always making me smile and keeping me going."
Perhaps O'Sullivan's biggest challenge as a leader came midway through the season with the unexpected resignation of head coach Jody Hyden and his replacement by assistant Ashworth. O'Sullivan stepped to the forefront in supporting Duke's new head coach.
"She's been good for me in knowing how I like things done and supporting me that way," Ashworth said. "Even though she doesn't always agree with the decisions, she goes with them. Her role as a captain is to act as a liaison, and she's done a good job with that."
With her senior season winding down, O'Sullivan is ready to go out with a bang. In order to do so, O'Sullivan will have to miss her own graduation ceremony on May 18-a sacrifice the senior is more than willing to make.
"This would be great-to graduate, leaving Duke behind having made history and accomplishing such a huge goal would be terrific," she said.
And if the rest of the Blue Devils end up believing as strongly as O'Sullivan, then make room in the trophy case.
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