The fall tennis season ended with a record of 3-5. The team was content with its scores and noticed improvement compared to past years.

“I think we did really good [and] we played better than we did before,” senior Meara Keheller said. “We won matches we wouldn’t have won, had we played them last year.”

Although the players believe they did well, they still noticed their faults in the mental aspect of tennis. According to the players, tennis is both a physical and mental sport. Having one’s head in the game is half the work on the court.

“Sometimes you can get into your head and start doubting yourself,” senior Tara Troung said. “It makes your physical actions work less; your mindset is the most important thing, and really trying to tone it down takes work.”

The mentality is especially important when opponents try to intimidate the team. In those moments, players recall the significance of maintaining a level head and keeping their personal feelings away from the court.

“Tennis is more of a mindset sport, so whenever we’re cheering for our teammates, it gets in our opponents’ heads a lot,” Kelleher said. “Our opponents get really frustrated with us, but we’re just playing more of the mental game instead of the physical game [because] it’s split 50/50. A lot of the time we beat harder teams by getting into their heads.”

Although the tennis season ended, the bonds formed on and off the court remain. Some players have known each other since middle school and having the common goal of winning only increased the family dynamic of the team.

“Our team is very fortunate to have the family atmosphere we created,” coach Deana Johnson said. “They are friends on and off the court. We had a lot of seniors playing this fall season that have been in tennis since their freshman year and some since they were in middle school. They were true leaders and played every match with determination to play their best.”

Most important of all, the team thrived to enhance their skills and appreciate the sport for what it is. Players improved their mindsets and made family that will live on in their memories after their high school years. With the season now over, some players are unable to come back to tennis for the spring season due to scheduling complications and are sad to say goodbye.

“I wish it was longer because now it’s over and it makes me really sad,” Truong said.