By taking time outside of practice to work on finer aspects of tennis, the girls tennis team is able to create progress in their skills and to grow as individual athletes.
The girls tennis team has been working hard in their performance on the court in hopes to win a league championship title in the future.
The last time they were able to win this title was in the early 1990s.
According to head coach Josh Myers, the girls are constantly “rooting for each other to succeed.”
Outside of practices, the team is putting in an effort to improve their skills in order to have self-development as a tennis player.
As for sophomore Kendal Hoover, she tries to work on weak points of her skills by playing with her family or by herself.
“I have been really focusing on making meaningful shots and place where I want the ball to go so the other person has to run for it,” Hoover said.
For sophomore Emilie Brown, she has been playing tennis for six years and her main goal is to play singles next year.
In addition to practicing on the court, she takes lessons to expand her knowledge of tennis.
“I go to the courts as much as I can,” Brown said. “I also take lessons so that helps a lot.”
But practicing tennis is not the only way to grow as a player.
According to Hoover, having a good mindset going into games and practices is a major aspect of playing to the best of her ability.
She is constantly reminding herself that “one mistake doesn’t define the rest of [her] journey.”
According to Myers, the team is a great group of players that are dedicated to learning.
Myers values players who are “open to dedication” and are able to apply what they’re being taught to when they are playing on the court.
“We currently have optional junior varsity practice, so the JV girls that come to practice now show that they want to become better,” Myers said.
All of the extra effort the girls put in is able to give them opportunities that help them develop more.
For Brown, she made JV her freshman year and pushed herself to make varsity the next year. With a lot of effort, she was able to make varsity this year.
“I’m proud of my achievements and everything I have accomplished in just a year. I worked really hard to get where I am and all the hard work paid off,” Brown said.
Myers continues to encourage these girls everyday to get on the court and strive to play to the best of their ability, while also learning from any mistakes that are made on the court to help them grow as athletes.
“He believes that we can do what we put our mind to and that has helped me a lot getting out of my head,” Brown said.