The 2016-17 girls tennis season has come to a close. Though this is not the outcome the team had hoped for, this season was definitely one to remember thanks to the hard work and dedication of each and every individual athlete.
“[I started tennis] freshman year as 8th doubles on JV. I worked super hard in the off season which earned me the number one doubles spot on JV sophomore year. I continued to work even harder, and my junior year I was second singles on varsity. Senior year, I earned the number one singles spot on varsity,” said senior Catie Dole.
Overall, many girls believe that being a part of such a great team helped them improve working their match play but also was a big factor of what has opened many new doors in their high school careers.
“Being on the team offered new opportunities to get better, and it improved my game, I believe,” said junior Caroline Kowalski.
On October 14, the top six varsity players played Regionals. Doubles matches were played at the Lakes/Antioch courts while singles matches were played at Grayslake North.
“We only had one player (Catie Dole) who got to a second round match. All others were eliminated, since it’s single elimination. As a team, we took seventh out of ten,” said varsity coach Jill Tomasello.
What many teammates have taken away from this season was how important being a team really was and how they could all help to improve each other’s games during matches and practices.
“Before our matches, I would write a small motivational speech for the team in hopes of getting our adrenaline up ready to play a great match,” said senior Emma Indlecoffer.
This year, varsity tennis said goodbye to five seniors who have been a part of the tennis program for the past several years.
“I will be playing tennis at Judson University next year. Playing tennis has taught me how to be a good teammate, but also being an aggressive competitor,” Indlecoffer said.