By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Blake Anderson always had a connection to Baylor. The Prosper native spent many a summer making the two-hour drive down I-35 to attend the program’s summer tennis camps.
“I’ve always wanted to come to Waco,” said Anderson, a freshman from Walnut Grove High School. “Once I started talking to Mike [Woodson], I became really close to Mike, and I came to the program … and the tennis camps in the summer.”
Anderson’s connection with the Bears and head coach Michael Woodson led him to don the green and gold going into last fall. The proximity has allowed his family to watch him compete.
“My parents are able to come to the matches, and my brother will come to a couple matches,” Anderson said. “It’s an awesome opportunity for me to be able to play here and my parents to be able to come.”
Anderson is also able to represent his home state while playing for Baylor (4-1). He is one of two players on the team to hail from the Lone Star State alongside senior Arman Zamani of Frisco. He is also one of four Americans on the 10-man roster.
Like many Texans, Anderson takes pride in representing his home state.
“There’s not a lot of guys on the team that are from America,” Anderson said. “Especially with Baylor being in Texas, it’s pretty cool to be able to represent Texas and represent America on the team.”
Anderson also appreciates his team’s diversity, saying he enjoys learning more about his teammates and their cultures.
“I also love having the foreign guys on the team,” Anderson said. “Learning about the different cultures and having a different culture on the team … that makes us pretty unique.”
One of the key influences on Anderson’s time at Baylor has been his doubles partner, junior Connor Van Schalkwyk. The pair share a strong bond both on the court and in everyday life.
“I have a good partner in Connor, one of my best friends,” Anderson said. “It’s so awesome to go on the court as a freshman with him.”
Woodson saw the connection right away. He said that the duo clicked the first time they practiced together in the fall. Their chemistry on the court has continued to grow throughout the early part of the spring.
“They’ve done a great job since the first practice we put them together,” Woodson said. “They just happened to be together on one of the morning sessions in Indian Wells, and they just have unbelievable chemistry, and you could see that even in a short amount of time.”
The pair has proven to be a staple for the Bears. They have not lost a doubles set so far this spring, including a dominant 6-1 victory in Baylor’s sweep over Tulsa on Friday.
Van Schalkwyk also serves as somewhat of a mentor to Anderson. Even though the junior is in his first year at Baylor, the Old Dominion transfer’s experience in college tennis has helped Anderson grow early in his collegiate career.
“He leads me throughout the match and throughout Baylor,” Anderson said. “He’s been a good role model to me, and I’m excited to be able to play doubles with him.”
Anderson has been credited with bringing energy to the Bears. Woodson said the team has become more energetic as the spring has progressed thanks to Anderson and his personality.
“He has incredible juice … he’s so energetic, he’s so fired up,” Woodson said. “He’s in your face whether he’s saying hello to you when you walk into class or if he’s on the match court. I think that that lends itself really well to team tennis.”
