October 28, 2025 • 10 mins
UND Head Tennis Coach Tom Boysen discussed his rosters for the season, noting that the men’s team features an almost entirely new lineup, while the women’s team brings back a strong group of experienced players. The student-athletes also highlighted the upcoming “Hit with the Hawks” event on November 7th at Choice, where fans are invited to meet and rally with the teams. Coach Boysen said he enjoys seeing his players connect with the community and appreciates the opportunity for fans to get to know the athletes on a more personal level.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Can we welcome you back here to Hawk Talk downtown
Grand Forks as we now turn our attention to tennis. Well,
the official tennis season is technically in the winter and spring,
but tennis is you know, going here with a little
fall schedule, and then they're also going to do an
interactive activity with the community as well. Joining me now
here is Christos and also Yula along with Tom Boyce
(00:27):
and the head coach. Let's give him a warm welcome
here and let's bring in coach boys in first. Coach,
you got a couple of veteran players here with you
here tonight, and we certainly appreciate you coming out and
talking a little bit about your season number one there.
You know, in today's day and age, your roster turns
over a little bit from year to year. How are
we doing with our rosters here in twenty five twenty six?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, So the teams are a little bit different by gender.
The men's team is a pretty new team from last year.
We had a lot of people graduate, move on and leave,
but a lot of a lot of new players who
we get to know in the fault. It's a good
thing that we get a fall season, get to play
some tournaments. It's mostly for associate head coach Kyle Anderson
and myself to kind of evaluate, see what we've got
to get the team used to each other and bond
(01:11):
a little bit. And the women's team is very veteran.
Like you said, the top three, four of the top
five are all seniors or players that have been here
three four years. Are been in college tennis for a
long time, and so I think we're going to draw
on the experience we had last year and really so
far this year, both teams have done well in the fall.
It might be the best fall as far as results
that the women's team has had since I've been here,
and the kind of makes it exciting to turn over
(01:33):
the next eight weeks and then get ready for the
season to start.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
No, Christos, you're and your last name is Alex and
you're from Arden Hills, Minnesota. So tell me a little
bit about your journey and what shouts to you about
being able to play here at the University of North Dakota.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Yeah. So originally I was actually born in Greece, so
really there for ten years before I moved to Minnesota.
Oh your team, Yeah, but my older brother played here,
yeh under coach Tom, which he had just great things
to say about the program. You and d love grand
for X and I was I would have been a
(02:10):
freshman while he was a senior. But he, let's just say,
you didn't want me here at the same time as him.
So I went to a different school, tore tore some
stuff on my knee, got a medical red shirt, and
U din the transfer portal and and you're connected, and yeah,
here we are and you're feeling good, and you're feeling great.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That's awesome. That's awesome, Youla. You're from Germany and you've
been here. You room with the golfer since your whole
career on a on the women's golf team, and so
you've learned to be just a true red blooded American
basically during your time here, even though you're being from Germany,
you think, boy, what you're getting, it's weird here. But
(02:50):
your career here has been you played from the get go,
and you've factored in what have you enjoyed most? Have
have you enjoyed when you have a chance to play doubles?
Do you enjoy being an individual? Through your collegiate career?
What has been the thing that really you enjoy I've.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
Always said when I played high school tennis that this
in the States in Indiana. Yeah, I love the team
part of the game, sure, and so being in a
team and having the team behind your back when you
play your single matches or double matches really helps. And
I love like the community and team.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Game well, And that's the thing we talk about, you know,
like women's goal for men's golf, or men's tennis or
women's tennis. It is unusual when we turn on the
TV and everything's individual, and you know, the professional it's
all individual. But in college, the team aspect is so interesting.
In Christos, I'm going to ask you about that as well.
(03:45):
But that's the fun part because that's the only time
in your career that you either going to play in
high school or college is going to be kind of
a team team like setting.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, it's totally different. And that's probably one of the
biggest learning curves with a lot of the freshmen as
you're going from playing and your tennis your whole entire
life where it's all about you, all about you, all
about you, but now it's if you lose and the
team wins, who cares? We want We're going but next
ice cream for everyone exactly exactly, We're still going out good.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
You know, that's great coach when you talk about, you know,
trying to find the right pieces the complement the ones
that are there. And I know you talk about a
lot of new faces on the men's program, you know
a lot of it is it's you know, about how
they get along in practice and away from the court
as well, and you just you got to find the
right type of individuals that are gonna mesh right, because
(04:33):
it's gonna affect you in doubles and then the team days.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Basically, Yeah, I think culture matters when you when you
make tennis a team sport and everybody's dependent on everybody else,
and you don't know, you don't know if everybody's work
ethic is gonna be the same, if everybody's gonna gonna
mesh and so I think, I honestly think that's one
of the advantages of coaching both teams for Pokyl and
myself is there's not many programs where the men's and
women's team have to interact this much. But I feel
(04:57):
like we've got a team where the women's team gets
along really well. Does a lot of things together. Community
service knocks it out of the park. The men get
you know, they're new, but they they seem to be
getting along. But the two teams also even that the
event that you're gonna be brought up with Hit with
the Hawks. When the two teams do that together and
it's nice to it all builds community. It all builds camaradi, camaraderie.
I mean watching the two teams with a few chances
(05:17):
they get to be at each other's matches forks and
just the support is it just builds. It just builds.
And then Kyle m I have to do a good
job recruiting and kind of see what you know as
best we can, but being thousands and thousands of miles
away from the recruits to see if they fit in
the culture.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
So let's talk about Hit with the Hawks. Number one,
Yula win is Hit with the Hawks. When can we
do it?
Speaker 4 (05:36):
It's November seventh.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
November seventh, okay, so that is a Hit with the
Hawks night. And I'm just gonna go to my old
calendar here, what time does Hit with the Hawks start?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Does?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
So that's a Friday, So that's that's before the Bison Day, right, Okay,
So basically, you want me to really run around and
feel it when I'm walking around on the sidelines for
the football game. Basically, So we got November seventh at choice, correct,
And what time do we go again?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
So for the adults at six thirty to eight.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
So there isn't okay an adult session. That's the one
that I did because the kids would make me, make
me embarrassed. What is the youth session?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
So they go four thirty to five thirty.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
So four thirty to five thirty and we're all day. Yeah, basically,
And can I just share this with you. I did
this one time and it was such a great experience
to get to know some of our student athletes. And
even though my tennis skills were not anything special or
anything like that, I could return it every now and
then sometimes I head it into the net. But everybody
(06:34):
makes you feel so welcome and they encourage you, and
it's just a great interaction with the community of you
obviously have a youth session and you have an adult session,
and I really encourage people to take advantage. What was
your takeaway doing different hits with the Hawks? What do
you like about it?
Speaker 4 (06:49):
I just like like connecting with the community, connecting with
the people that actually come support us doing our games
in the season as well knowing who's support us, and
it's just like really fun connecting with them, interacting with them.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah, it's in November seventh. It's Hit with the Hawks
at Choice, and of course there's a youth session that
starts at four thirty and then the evening session belongs
to the adults and it's open to the public basically,
so take advantage of that. Now, Christos, will you teach
me how to speak maybe bad words and Greek so
that if I get frustrated then I won't get any
(07:25):
sort of points taken away.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
So the first.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Oh with the Hawks that we got, we've got a
lot of different languages, so be ready to be pretty bilingual.
That's awesome, you know, And basically, you know, you encourage
people that are just just to you know, maybe even
learning the game. This will be an opportunity for them
just to get a good sense of what you guys
do and how it goes.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Right well for sure. I mean, tennis is one of
those sports you can play your whole life, so it's
just it's great. There's never a time you can't learn
and and even We've got some really really good players
who are in their forties fifties, and yeah, give us
a good run for our money. So that's always fun
to watch.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
I was out there with some of them and I'm like,
oh wow, these these people can play. So I mean
it's from all angles. But Yula, you're saying, take advantage
be out there for hit with the Hawks on that
Friday November seventh. Yes, okay, and coach you basically say,
we like doing these, we want to continue to do these.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
It's I'll be honest, in the years I've been here,
and this started long before I got here. This was
something Tom Win and Kylie Anderson had started before. But
wins and and people doing well competing well make me
pretty proud. But probably the prodest moments I've had it
you and you're watching the student athletes interacted, how well
they take on this this role of interact with the community,
and then they know their names. The adults that come,
(08:40):
you know, know that the student athletes names, and they
come to the matches and they kind of know who
they're cheering for. But it's it's really a unique thing,
and it's it's fun to watch my student athletes you
know Interact.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
They do a great job and we appreciate you doing that.
And I know you guys were involved with Halloween Bash
and everything else with the youngsters out there, probably in costume.
Did you wearn costumes last night?
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Would you wear?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Oh? I love it?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Oh? Very nice?
Speaker 1 (09:06):
All right, blind raft. Okay, well, guys, thanks so much
for joining us here tonight, and good luck next week
with hit with the Hawks. Appreciate it. Can't wait for
the season to get here. Okay, all right you indeed
men's and women's tennis head coach Tom Boyce and Chris
tosen Youla, and that's gonna do it for our program
here tonight. I want to thank everybody for coming out
and joining us, For all of you listening across the
(09:26):
Fighting Hawks Radio network. We've got a great week ahead
of you and D sports. You indie hockey at home
Friday and Saturday night, big one for you and D football.
You indie basketball starts next week and you and he
cross country at the Championships in Omaha on Saturday as well.
Whatever you're doing, go to Fighting Hawks dot com. You
can follow it all right there. Go back to Hawk
Talk on the iHeartRadio app at iHeartRadio dot com to
(09:47):
listen to any of these conversations from tonight for our
entire team back at the play Chip Studios being led
by Jennifer for Mel and her team here tonight for
all of you, Thanks for coming out, and we'll see
you next week with more Hawk talk all across the
Fighting Hawks radio netw work
Can we welcome you back here to Hawk Talk downtown
Grand Forks as we now turn our attention to tennis. Well,
the official tennis season is technically in the winter and spring,
but tennis is you know, going here with a little
fall schedule, and then they're also going to do an
interactive activity with the community as well. Joining me now
here is Christos and also Yula along with Tom Boyce
(00:27):
and the head coach. Let's give him a warm welcome
here and let's bring in coach boys in first. Coach,
you got a couple of veteran players here with you
here tonight, and we certainly appreciate you coming out and
talking a little bit about your season number one there.
You know, in today's day and age, your roster turns
over a little bit from year to year. How are
we doing with our rosters here in twenty five twenty six?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, So the teams are a little bit different by gender.
The men's team is a pretty new team from last year.
We had a lot of people graduate, move on and leave,
but a lot of a lot of new players who
we get to know in the fault. It's a good
thing that we get a fall season, get to play
some tournaments. It's mostly for associate head coach Kyle Anderson
and myself to kind of evaluate, see what we've got
to get the team used to each other and bond
(01:11):
a little bit. And the women's team is very veteran.
Like you said, the top three, four of the top
five are all seniors or players that have been here
three four years. Are been in college tennis for a
long time, and so I think we're going to draw
on the experience we had last year and really so
far this year, both teams have done well in the fall.
It might be the best fall as far as results
that the women's team has had since I've been here,
and the kind of makes it exciting to turn over
(01:33):
the next eight weeks and then get ready for the
season to start.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
No, Christos, you're and your last name is Alex and
you're from Arden Hills, Minnesota. So tell me a little
bit about your journey and what shouts to you about
being able to play here at the University of North Dakota.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Yeah. So originally I was actually born in Greece, so
really there for ten years before I moved to Minnesota.
Oh your team, Yeah, but my older brother played here,
yeh under coach Tom, which he had just great things
to say about the program. You and d love grand
for X and I was I would have been a
(02:10):
freshman while he was a senior. But he, let's just say,
you didn't want me here at the same time as him.
So I went to a different school, tore tore some
stuff on my knee, got a medical red shirt, and
U din the transfer portal and and you're connected, and yeah,
here we are and you're feeling good, and you're feeling great.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That's awesome. That's awesome, Youla. You're from Germany and you've
been here. You room with the golfer since your whole
career on a on the women's golf team, and so
you've learned to be just a true red blooded American
basically during your time here, even though you're being from Germany,
you think, boy, what you're getting, it's weird here. But
(02:50):
your career here has been you played from the get go,
and you've factored in what have you enjoyed most? Have
have you enjoyed when you have a chance to play doubles?
Do you enjoy being an individual? Through your collegiate career?
What has been the thing that really you enjoy I've.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
Always said when I played high school tennis that this
in the States in Indiana. Yeah, I love the team
part of the game, sure, and so being in a
team and having the team behind your back when you
play your single matches or double matches really helps. And
I love like the community and team.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Game well, And that's the thing we talk about, you know,
like women's goal for men's golf, or men's tennis or
women's tennis. It is unusual when we turn on the
TV and everything's individual, and you know, the professional it's
all individual. But in college, the team aspect is so interesting.
In Christos, I'm going to ask you about that as well.
(03:45):
But that's the fun part because that's the only time
in your career that you either going to play in
high school or college is going to be kind of
a team team like setting.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah, it's totally different. And that's probably one of the
biggest learning curves with a lot of the freshmen as
you're going from playing and your tennis your whole entire
life where it's all about you, all about you, all
about you, but now it's if you lose and the
team wins, who cares? We want We're going but next
ice cream for everyone exactly exactly, We're still going out good.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
You know, that's great coach when you talk about, you know,
trying to find the right pieces the complement the ones
that are there. And I know you talk about a
lot of new faces on the men's program, you know
a lot of it is it's you know, about how
they get along in practice and away from the court
as well, and you just you got to find the
right type of individuals that are gonna mesh right, because
(04:33):
it's gonna affect you in doubles and then the team days.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Basically, Yeah, I think culture matters when you when you
make tennis a team sport and everybody's dependent on everybody else,
and you don't know, you don't know if everybody's work
ethic is gonna be the same, if everybody's gonna gonna
mesh and so I think, I honestly think that's one
of the advantages of coaching both teams for Pokyl and
myself is there's not many programs where the men's and
women's team have to interact this much. But I feel
(04:57):
like we've got a team where the women's team gets
along really well. Does a lot of things together. Community
service knocks it out of the park. The men get
you know, they're new, but they they seem to be
getting along. But the two teams also even that the
event that you're gonna be brought up with Hit with
the Hawks. When the two teams do that together and
it's nice to it all builds community. It all builds camaradi, camaraderie.
I mean watching the two teams with a few chances
(05:17):
they get to be at each other's matches forks and
just the support is it just builds. It just builds.
And then Kyle m I have to do a good
job recruiting and kind of see what you know as
best we can, but being thousands and thousands of miles
away from the recruits to see if they fit in
the culture.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
So let's talk about Hit with the Hawks. Number one,
Yula win is Hit with the Hawks. When can we
do it?
Speaker 4 (05:36):
It's November seventh.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
November seventh, okay, so that is a Hit with the
Hawks night. And I'm just gonna go to my old
calendar here, what time does Hit with the Hawks start?
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Does?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
So that's a Friday, So that's that's before the Bison Day, right, Okay,
So basically, you want me to really run around and
feel it when I'm walking around on the sidelines for
the football game. Basically, So we got November seventh at choice, correct,
And what time do we go again?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
So for the adults at six thirty to eight.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
So there isn't okay an adult session. That's the one
that I did because the kids would make me, make
me embarrassed. What is the youth session?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
So they go four thirty to five thirty.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
So four thirty to five thirty and we're all day. Yeah, basically,
And can I just share this with you. I did
this one time and it was such a great experience
to get to know some of our student athletes. And
even though my tennis skills were not anything special or
anything like that, I could return it every now and
then sometimes I head it into the net. But everybody
(06:34):
makes you feel so welcome and they encourage you, and
it's just a great interaction with the community of you
obviously have a youth session and you have an adult session,
and I really encourage people to take advantage. What was
your takeaway doing different hits with the Hawks? What do
you like about it?
Speaker 4 (06:49):
I just like like connecting with the community, connecting with
the people that actually come support us doing our games
in the season as well knowing who's support us, and
it's just like really fun connecting with them, interacting with them.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah, it's in November seventh. It's Hit with the Hawks
at Choice, and of course there's a youth session that
starts at four thirty and then the evening session belongs
to the adults and it's open to the public basically,
so take advantage of that. Now, Christos, will you teach
me how to speak maybe bad words and Greek so
that if I get frustrated then I won't get any
(07:25):
sort of points taken away.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
So the first.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Oh with the Hawks that we got, we've got a
lot of different languages, so be ready to be pretty bilingual.
That's awesome, you know, And basically, you know, you encourage
people that are just just to you know, maybe even
learning the game. This will be an opportunity for them
just to get a good sense of what you guys
do and how it goes.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
Right well for sure. I mean, tennis is one of
those sports you can play your whole life, so it's
just it's great. There's never a time you can't learn
and and even We've got some really really good players
who are in their forties fifties, and yeah, give us
a good run for our money. So that's always fun
to watch.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
I was out there with some of them and I'm like,
oh wow, these these people can play. So I mean
it's from all angles. But Yula, you're saying, take advantage
be out there for hit with the Hawks on that
Friday November seventh. Yes, okay, and coach you basically say,
we like doing these, we want to continue to do these.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
It's I'll be honest, in the years I've been here,
and this started long before I got here. This was
something Tom Win and Kylie Anderson had started before. But
wins and and people doing well competing well make me
pretty proud. But probably the prodest moments I've had it
you and you're watching the student athletes interacted, how well
they take on this this role of interact with the community,
and then they know their names. The adults that come,
(08:40):
you know, know that the student athletes names, and they
come to the matches and they kind of know who
they're cheering for. But it's it's really a unique thing,
and it's it's fun to watch my student athletes you
know Interact.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
They do a great job and we appreciate you doing that.
And I know you guys were involved with Halloween Bash
and everything else with the youngsters out there, probably in costume.
Did you wearn costumes last night?
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Yes?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Would you wear?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Oh? I love it?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Oh? Very nice?
Speaker 1 (09:06):
All right, blind raft. Okay, well, guys, thanks so much
for joining us here tonight, and good luck next week
with hit with the Hawks. Appreciate it. Can't wait for
the season to get here. Okay, all right you indeed
men's and women's tennis head coach Tom Boyce and Chris
tosen Youla, and that's gonna do it for our program
here tonight. I want to thank everybody for coming out
and joining us, For all of you listening across the
(09:26):
Fighting Hawks Radio network. We've got a great week ahead
of you and D sports. You indie hockey at home
Friday and Saturday night, big one for you and D football.
You indie basketball starts next week and you and he
cross country at the Championships in Omaha on Saturday as well.
Whatever you're doing, go to Fighting Hawks dot com. You
can follow it all right there. Go back to Hawk
Talk on the iHeartRadio app at iHeartRadio dot com to
(09:47):
listen to any of these conversations from tonight for our
entire team back at the play Chip Studios being led
by Jennifer for Mel and her team here tonight for
all of you, Thanks for coming out, and we'll see
you next week with more Hawk talk all across the
Fighting Hawks radio netw work
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