Rained out of three matches and countless practices, this year’s girls tennis team never missed a day to get better. The players were in the weight room, practicing in the gym, or running the dreaded pool balcony. “We always used rainy those days to think we were getting ahead of someone else who wasn’t making use of after school time,” said Coach Warstler.

Most players worked hard during their off seasons and over the summer. Hannah Wexner’14 said, “During the school year, I”ll probably play for about 2 hours a day, in addition to the time that I spend lifting and running. During the summer, I usually play more, usually for about 3-4 hours every day.

The camaraderie throughout the team is a major factor that helps to bring them together to work as a collective unit. If a couple of courts start to slip, then it can bring the entire momentum of the team to a halt. Andrea Ballinger’15 said, “If you look over and see, ‘That person is down,’ or, ‘That person is up,’ it really affects how you play. It makes you want to play harder and fight harder to get your match going. So if that person looks back over at you she gets some positive reinforcement.”

Composed of four juniors, one sophomore, and two freshman, this year’s young team had a great season with a 13-7 record. It had victories over great teams including CSG and Bexley. The team also placed first in the MSL competition, and at the end of the season they made it to states. With more experience on the team next year, perhaps they will go all the way!

Written by Nikhil Patel’14. Photos by Elliot Nick’14