Players push through a challenging season

Story and Photo by Areesa Steele – Staff Reporter

This year’s girls’ tennis season is very different from last year’s. The girls now get to experience more of a crowd and being a team. They still followed the COVID requirements and had a great season.

   “Last year because of COVID, we obviously had a lot less people that stayed and watched the matches. This year there’s more people that stayed to watch and we get to do more events and parties and we get to ride the bus,” Jaclyn Siegmeier, sophomore, said.

   All of the girls on the tennis team have started in many different ways. They all found a passion for tennis by looking at the sport or just wanting to get involved with the school.

   “I started freshman year and I practice every day after school,” Julia Burton, sophomore, said.

   Some girls even started in middle school with a tennis club.

   “I started [tennis] in middle school on the Campbell Tennis Club and then after that I went to lessons at Metro Tennis with a lot of the girls from North. Sometimes I practice with my friends on the weekend and we go out and hit [on] the tennis courts,” Siegmeier said.

   There are many different things that the girls do for the tennis team. They participate in fundraisers, snack exchanges and support each other at different matches and tournaments.

   “My favorite part about the tennis season is getting to hang out with my friends after school,” Burton said.

   The girls’ tennis team has had a big impact on the girls. They get to connect and play as a team. Along with learning new skills, they practice a lot to get to where they are at this time of the season.

    “During the tennis season, we have practice every day after school for 2 hours or we have a match,” Siegmeier said.

   There are many amazing and different skills that the girls have learned in tennis. Most of the skills take a while to perfect.

   “I really like volleying when I can do it. It’s a really hard skill, but when you’re good at it, it’s fun,” Siegmeier said.

   Most girls on the tennis team enjoy some of the easier skills that they use all the time.

   “My favorite skill would have to be my forehand,” Burton said.

   The tennis team creates a fun and welcoming environment for all of its players. No matter where you are on the ladder, tennis is a sport everyone enjoys.