Girls tennis finishes the season with district tournaments

The girls tennis season comes to an end with district tournaments and an emotional goodbye for seniors.

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Lauren Nosal

Senior Elise Thomas hits the tennis ball, aiming for victory.

Emily Herd, Print Executive Editor

All good things come to an end. This saying rings in the ears of the girls tennis players as they give it their all. Their rackets swing hard from left to right pushing, striving for victory and an amazing end to this season.

The girls pushed themselves to the limit as they played vigorously this week coached by Mr. Scott Wilson. On Monday, they played against Fort Zumwalt East in the district tournament winning 5-4.

On Tuesday, the team played the No. 1 seed, Parkway Central, but lost against them 5-0. This game ended the tennis season as a team.

Although the season was over for the team, some varsity players competed for individual districts on Thursday Oct. 1. The scores have not yet been announced, but there were no players that advanced.

Senior Grace Miller has played tennis for many years and is the No. 1 player for varsity this season. She doesn’t think she played to her best ability, but she put in a ton of effort.  Miller also played in all the district and individual tournaments.

“The season ending is extremely bitter sweet,” Miller said. “We had an awesome team of girls and an amazing coach.”

Senior Elise Thomas has played tennis since her sophomore year and this is her second year on varsity. This is her last year playing tennis, so this year mattered more than ever. Her dedication to the team and playing her best carried over onto district tournaments.  

“This year meant a lot to me considering its my last year,” Thomas said. “I put a ton of effort into this season and it was worth it. We did awesome at districts, I’m really proud of everyone.”

Junior Maddie Gunnell played her second year on varsity this season, and is typically partners with Thomas. Gunnell believed having a strong partner allows her to perform at her best, so they can work in unity. Due to this, Gunnell is sad to see her partner and good friend leave and not play with her next season.

“We basically keep each other in the game and support one another,” Gunnell said. “I’m sad that I will not play with her next season.”

Most of the team has been united since freshman year, creating a strong bond between teammates. Due to this, the end to the season was an emotional rollercoaster with ups for winning on Monday and downs for losing on Tuesday. The impact of this year has left an impression on Thomas that will carry on throughout her senior year, even after the tennis season.

“I’m going to miss the team more than ever after this season,” Thomas said. “We all have been together for a long time some longer than others, but we all have a strong bond with each other.”