BY LIZZY EDWARDS AND LAUREN BALL
Attention to detail. Endurance. Mental strength. These are all traits required for success on the tennis court.
The Varsity A girls kicked off their season with their first match on Tuesday, August 9th. Since then, the team has been on the court non-stop, with as many as four matches each week. Their record is currently 10-9.
This season has brought big changes to the Varsity A team. Four of the seven players graduated last year, leaving the first singles, second singles, and both first doubles spots open. All four positions were filled by seniors who moved up from the Varsity B team.
“One of our struggles this season is that the majority of our team are all new Varsity A players. But, we all played Varsity B together last year,” said senior Lexi Dunn, who alternates between playing third singles and second doubles.
Despite lack of experience, the team proved they could handle themselves early on in the season when they placed second at the Medina Doubles Tournament.
Senior co-captain Autumn Brown attributes this success to the team’s dynamics.
“We know how to have a good time together, but we can also be serious when it comes down to it,” said Brown.
Brown, who plays first doubles with fellow senior co-captain Sophia Fry, noted that their off-court friendship contributes to a strong chemistry in matches.
“Our season has been going really well. I’m having a great time with Sophia; we’re good friends on and off the court,” said Brown. “We have good communication. I bring the power, but Sophia brings the consistency.”
While naturally some seniors are excited to be closer to graduation than ever before, there are some bittersweet moments that the seniors have experienced so far.
“It’s so cool because we’ve put in all this work the past four years and we finally get to have our last year and come together as a team,” said Brown.
Senior Laryn Pelkey, who alternates between playing third singles and second doubles with Dunn, added that the development of the tennis program has been a years long process, especially for the class of 2023, which has nine seniors.
“We all started together. I remember that me, Autumn, and Sophia would all go to Kaleidoscope and play together [before joining the team],” said Pelkey. “Now we’re all here.”
