Joseph Vasquez / The Collegian
It is a couple minutes past 1:45 p.m. at the Wathen Tennis Center and Melanie Gloria takes a quick look around before looking at the clock on her phone.
“Tinesta [Rowe] is always late,â€Â Gloria said with a smile. “The only time she is not late is when she has to come to practice. She knows she will have to run if she is [late].â€Â
A couple minutes later, Rowe shows up and is smiling.
She knows that Gloria spilled the beans on her slight problem with punctuality.
She doesn̢۪t mind though, and the two start their show.
They might not be the best of friends, but there is undeniably a bond between the two.
Under normal circumstances, these two are very different women from two completely different places.
Gloria, a junior from Montreal, Canada, has been playing doubles with Rowe, a junior from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, for less than a year.
Already in that time though, Gloria and Rowe know each other̢۪s quirks well.
They attribute the differences in their personalities and tennis strengths to their on-court success.
“We complete each other,â€Â Gloria said.
“Ah, we’re going to get married now,â€Â Rowe joked, touched by the comment.
They both giggle.
But despite the humor, Gloria is serious about the way they round each other out.
“I think it is very rare that you are going to see two players playing together that have the same style, playing well together,â€Â Gloria said.
“I have the confidence that no matter what I do, she is going to back me up,â€Â Rowe said.
The duo has already managed to start the 2007-2008 tennis season strong by posting a 9-3 record and a national ranking of 11th.
On the way to that ranking, they defeated two teams with a higher ranking than theirs and won the Northwest Regional Championships.
Coach Simon Thibodeau believes that Gloria and Rowe̢۪s differences equate to success, as well.
“Tinesta has kind of the more explosive game. She has a big serve and volleys well,â€Â Thibodeau said. “Melanie is steady in the back. She is really calm and tough mentally.â€Â
He too subscribes to the notion that they complete each other.
“One sets the other one up and the other finishes,â€Â Thibodeau said.
In his mind, there is no reason why the duo cannot go all the way.
“I don’t see why they can’t win a national tournament. They should be ranked top 5 or top 7,â€Â Thibodeau said.
He is not sure whether they will play together next season but also doesn̢۪t foresee anything stopping them this season from being highly victorious.
“Right now they are playing at their level,â€Â Thibodeau said. “Anything is possible.â€Â
Winning is important to these two, who admit to being extremely competitive.
When it comes down to it though, they are not afraid to laugh or enjoy the sport.
They have confidence in themselves and each other, knowing that one will always be there to pick the other up, if needed.
They also know that competitors will be trying to bring their A-game against the two.
“Come on now, you got to play your best game to beat us,â€Â Rowe said jokingly.
Even if she is slightly joking, the enjoyment of the game will never escape either of them.
“We always have fun together,â€Â Gloria said.
Like they said in the beginning, they complete each other.