Through numerous hours of practice, fine-tuning their backhands and perfecting their serves, the girls tennis team is preparing for their upcoming season.
With the first varsity match being held Aug. 29 against John Burroughs, the team has had a lot of time to improve their game.
“I have been preparing for the season by doing our Edwardsville Tennis Academy program, going to the Nike tennis camp at the University of Illinois and practicing with friends,” senior Julia Harriss said.
Most players also practiced over the summer with teammates, parents and coaches so that they would be ready for the new season.
“We’ve all gotten a lot better over the summer, so hopefully that will help our game,” senior Sophia Carruthers said.
The start of a new season means the start of a new team, as new players fill the spots of old players that graduated in the spring.
One new player is freshman Dia Kannan. Coming in as a ninth grader, she is tied for first place with junior Katie Woods on the team ladder rank.
“Dia has brought a lot of competitive experience to the team,” Woods said. “As a freshman, she is pushing the more experienced players which will only help the team during the upcoming season.”
Kannan looks forward to playing with the girls on the team and learning from them.
“The team is exactly how I expected it,” she said. “It’s big, supportive and everybody cheers everyone else on.”
Along with the sense of community that the team provides her, she is also adapting to moving into such a high position her first year on the team.
According to Kannan, filling such a major role is very nerve-wracking. Kannan also said that despite having such an advanced rank, it is not the sole reason she plays.
“I would be happy with any spot on the ladder just as long as I simply get to play,” she said.
The girls tennis team won sectionals and competed at the state level last season.
Most girls on the team hope to perform better this year with the addition of the new freshmen.
“I think the new additions will help contribute to the success of the team by pushing themselves and those around them to get better,” Harriss said. “With so many seniors this year, the new additions will help make the team successful in the future as well.”
In addition, Carruthers believes that the fresh set of players will help in defeating some of the teams they struggle to beat.
“I believe our team will do extremely well this season,” she said. “Hopefully we can all contribute to winning more matches.”