On Monday, August 28, girls tennis faced off against Timberland High School for their first game of the season. They started out their season with a loss, but this has not discouraged them.
“We had our toughest teams at the very start of the year,” Assistant Girls Tennis Coach, Emily McDaniel said.
The tennis team has had a difficult time with Timberland, Francis Howell North, and Parkway North in the past years.
Tennis requires daylight to play, which causes their season to start and end earlier than most sports. The season starts in late August and ends in late September.
“Due to the sun setting earlier and rising later in the day, we have to begin our games earlier than most other sports,” McDaniel said.
Before each game, each team does a huddle, motivating each player to do their best individually, before their members are assigned a court.
Motivating a team, especially one with new members to tennis altogether, can make or break your performance.
“Just remember, in order to win, you have to lose first,” Captain Savannah Ewing said.
Maintaining morale is hard to balance, making sure you’re ready to bounce back while still processing and learning from your loss.
Overall, the team is adapting from their loss with Timberland, to make and pave the way for next year’s players.
