The underlying expectation for every member of the girls varsity tennis team is that they uphold their six year record for qualifying for States at the end of the season. Yet, you wouldn’t know that looking from the outside.
“We have a lot of teams that are very high profile,” Athletic Director Nikki Norris said. “And people may not know about how good our tennis program is, unless you actually know someone on the team.”
However, being a strong team with high expectations doesn’t automatically guarantee a high stress load. At least not for the girls varsity tennis team.
When Ellery Scales (11) was ten years old, she made it her goal to play high school tennis competitively. She went from practicing once a week to excitedly rushing to the courts whenever she had free time.
“In team sports, it was easy for me to get anxious and feel guilty when I would mess up,” Scales said. “When I’m playing singles [tennis], I’m playing by myself and I can zone in and it’s my game. If I mess up, then it’s on me and I don’t have to worry about disappointing other people.”
Regardless of how Scales plays, she knows she will step off the court and be met with the support of her teammates.
“We do have a really positive environment,” Scales said. “We’re never mad at each other for losing a game or two because we’re a good team. We’re in a good spot right now, so it doesn’t really matter.”
But that doesn’t allow the competitive mindset of the team waiver, something that has stood out to Elsa Elhenicky (11).
Elhenicky joined the team her sophomore year, and she immediately felt welcomed. She loved the supportive and calm demeanor of the team, a big difference from the fast-paced, stressful environment of her former springtime sport, travel volleyball.
“We’re all very happy for each other,” Elhenicky said. “It’s competitive but in a good way. It’s always fun. It’s just a total friendship–a loving environment where we prioritize having fun.”
The team carries this energy throughout the season, all the way to the State meet.
On the day prior to the State tournament, the team spends all their time together before the last games of their season.
“States is usually a really positive memory because we all get to stay in a hotel and we get to do fun things,” Scales said, “We usually go to parks together and we go out for dinner.”
In previous years, the tennis team has felt neglected by administration due to the recurring issue of their State Championship falling on the exact date of graduation. The team repeatedly voiced their complaints, and this year an effort was finally made to avoid this scheduling issue. However, administrators were only able to move graduation to the day before States which is still an unideal scenario for seniors like EmmaMae Baker (12).
“I guess I am happy that they changed it,” Baker said. “But it’s still stressful because we have to leave very late, and then be ready at 7 a.m. to play. It’s quite sad, but we’ve done a lot of team bonding activities this year, so it’ll be fine.”
Despite this setback, the team still plans to go into States with the same positive attitude they have maintained throughout the season.
“We are really comfortable with each other,” Baker said. “It’s just that free space to just have somebody that cares, and everybody shows that.”
