The RoundHouse | 10/12/2018 10:08:00 AM

 

Wichita State freshman Orel Ovil hit the tennis ball into the net and knew what came next – 10 knee-jumps – the standard price for an error during that practice drill.
 
Coach Danny Bryan waved off the punishment. The volley Ovil attempted to return was so well-placed – hard and on the line – that Bryan felt he did all he could.
 
 "It was just too good of a shot," Bryan said.
 
Ovil, from Petah Tikva, Israel, did the knee-jumps, unaware anybody else noticed. 
 
"I didn't think about it that much," he said. "If that's the purpose of the practice, then you should do it anyway. It doesn't matter if the ball was too strong. When the coach says something, you have to do it."
 
Almost everybody, it seems, noticed, and it became one of those small moments that help establish leadership and respect within a team.
 
"That doesn't happen every day, when (Bryan) says you don't have to do the punishment and then somebody says 'No, no, I think I should do it anyway," teammate Austin Williams said. 
 
Bryan certainly noticed and it is one of the reasons he expects Ovil to play an important role during the spring schedule. Ovil turns 22 in late October and he came to Wichita State after serving his mandatory three years in the Israel Defense Forces. 
 
"He's shown a lot more leadership skills than your average freshman," Bryan said. "He wants to earn the respect of the team and he's made that known."
 
Ovil's military time started with basic training, where he learned to handle an M16, and did not include combat. His time in the military consisted of a few hours of office work each day, followed by tennis practice. As is the case with many elite athletes, his superiors considered working on his sport important.
 
"That was the goal," Ovil said.
 
When his mandatory stint ended, he turned his attention to college. He visited Wichita State in July and committed three weeks later, Bryan said. Ovil is friends with former Shocker men's basketball guard Gal Mekel, also from Israel, with whom he shared an athletic trainer.
 
Ovil came to campus more prepared for his evaluation of the university and the tennis program than most newcomers. He knew about the roster, the schedule, the opportunities to play in USTA Pro Circuit tournaments in Wichita over the summer.
 
"He knew the right questions to ask," Bryan said. "That was really what stood out. He already had an understanding of our program and then he was able to ask questions from the information he had gathered."
 
Ovil said he liked Wichita's quiet environment, which makes focusing on tennis and his exercise science major a little easier. 
 
"All the people here are very nice, very smiley," he said. "It feels like it's very good family-wise. Everyone is connected to you and everyone loves the sport here."
 
Ovil lives with Williams in an off-campus apartment and Williams said his space reflects his desire for neatness. His bed is made, his books are organized. Although Ovil is new, Williams said teammates take his voice seriously when he encourages others to pick it up in drills and workouts.
 
"He has way of doing it that's not combative, and the guys really take well to it," Williams said.
 
International student-athletes often join the tennis team in January, which places them in the difficult position of adjusting to a new school and new competition during the toughest part of the schedule. Ovil is using the fall for that transition and Bryan expects that to pay off in the spring.
 
"He hasn't loosened up and played in matches like he has in practice," Bryan said. "That's why you come in here in the fall. You can work through these things. By January, he's going to be a big contributor for us."
 
Wichita State's tennis teams are holding a fund-raising event from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 16) at Coleman Tennis Complex. The evening includes drills, doubles play and pizza. For more information, email assistant coach Justin DeSanto at jdesanto@goshockers.com.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.