The last two weeks of the regular season taught the Southland Conference a few things about the Bears. For the April 14 match against then-undefeated ACU Wildcats, the Conway faithful packed the two sets of bleachers for a Senior Day battle. They watched as their Bears handed the Wildcats their first doubles point loss in over a month and later their first conference loss. They watched Freshman of the Year Chunxi Xin sweep her opponent at the No. 1 and freshman Fuka Nonoyama do the same at the No. 2. The Bears were not afraid of a team with an undefeated SLC record.
 
If that wasn't impressive enough, the Bears marched into Tyler, Texas the next weekend and defeated a team that Central Arkansas has never beaten in program history. Not only did they win, they reached four points so quickly that the rest of the matches were stopped. Xin fought off her opponent in set one for a 7-6 win and took the next one 6-2 to finish the year with eight SLC wins, most in conference at the No. 1. Seniors Rada Manataweewat and QiLi Ma swept their opponents at the No. 5 and 6 to lead their squad to making history.
 
It is hard not to love this team. I've watched them grow during this journey and it's easy to see that they play as a family. After every home match, mats are laid out among the court in a circle for the ladies to stretch out postgame. Snacks are brought out and music begins to blare from the speaker as the ladies sit around, dance and joke with one another. There are no enemies on this team and you would think they have known each other for years. At team dinners after every match, Head Coach Casey Wharton enforces a strict no-phone policy that allows the team to grow closer together and enjoy each other's company. No one can break this team's bond.
 
On the court, the Bears have made all the right adjustments over the year that has made Wharton proud.
 
"The team bought into the culture from the beginning and the seniors have kept it going," Wharton said. "We made changes along the way while getting better at some things and at the same time, we kept the things that are very important to us. I'm excited that we are clear about who we are and continue to move in that direction."
 
The next direction points toward the first round of the SLC Tournament that begins tomorrow morning against six-seed McNeese. Of the last six seasons, the previous Bears have fallen in the first round four times. Although the Bears defeated the Cowgirls 6-1 in the regular season matchup, Wharton knows that will have zero impact in tomorrow's match.
 
"They're really good," Wharton said. "In many ways, they're going to be very difficult to beat. We play in the morning and I have no idea how the wind will blow compared to the afternoon.
 
We're just going to go out, play our best and see what happens."
 
If you look past the first round, the Bears would be two wins away from winning their first SLC Championship in program history. With the success the Bears have enjoyed this year, you would like their odds. But for Wharton, he's only got one thing on his mind.
 
"I can't think about a title," Wharton said. "This whole semester's approach has been taking it a day at a time. I think we're good enough to win it, but there's no point in talking about it. We've got to go out and do it. Just because we beat McNeese in the regular season, doesn't mean they're not going to be difficult to beat tomorrow.
 
For me, I don't think about a title or even the next round, I just think what we have to do to get past McNeese."
 
No matter how the season ends, the Bears can be proud of how they handled adversity and accomplished what they did. They faced the injury bug with Xin missing the first seven matches of the year and Ma missing time with an ankle injury. Others stepped up while their teammates were hurt. Nonoyama handled No. 1 duties until Xin could return. Ladies were there for one another.
 
Of the seven singles participants, five finished with 10+ wins. Senior Marli Van Heerden left it all on the court as she finished with a team-high 16 wins and made program history when she captured career-win No. 60 on April 5. The team brought in five SLC awards yesterday showing that the league respects what the Bears are doing. These athletes have given it their all this year and win or lose tomorrow, fans will still be proud of them regardless.
 
"I think the greatest compliment that anyone can give an athlete is that they got the most out of what God gave them," Wharton said. "I feel like this year, with the situations and circumstances we had, we got the most out of it and I'm proud of that."
 
The Bears will start their postseason journey tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. as the No. 3 seed. Highlights and postgame interviews will be shared on the Southland Conference's twitter account (@SouthlandSports). Updates and recaps for all things Bears can be viewed on the @UCATennis twitter account.
 
Bear claws up.