Tennis isn’t the first sport most people think of when they think about high school sports. However, this year, the girls tennis team is making an impact. The team has increased in size and ability. The tennis team usually has 20 girls, but this year they have 26. Coach McDaniel, one of the Girls’ Tennis coaches, said, “We think this is because we are a very friendly team that welcomes beginners. We want everyone to feel like they belong on our team and can learn something new.”
The Varsity Girls Tennis team has been playing well in matches. Lindsey Meyer, senior varsity player, and one of the captains on the team, said, “The team has been awesome this year… and everyone is putting in the time and effort.” Coach McDaniel added, “We are having a fun and successful season so far. We are currently 6-1 with 5 regular season matches left to play.”
Urooj Fatima, a relatively new player to the sport, explained, “I think this season has been really good. I have learned a lot and had many opportunities to improve and assess my strengths and weaknesses.”
While being on the tennis team has improved the skills of the players, a lot of growth has been outside of the courts too. Fatima said, “Playing tennis has impacted my life in a positive way…it improved my team working skills, and developed other traits of mine such as time management and patience.”
Tennis has also impacted Lindsey Meyer. “Tennis has changed my life because it has allowed me to meet so many awesome people and…I always have a good time up on the tennis courts,” she said. The team is looking forward to the growth they will experience as individuals and as a team throughout the season. Coach McDaniel described why she likes coaching the team. “I really love seeing someone who is brand new to tennis fall in love with the sport and want to compete…I like who the girls on the team are as people. The fact that they are good tennis players is the icing on the cake!’