Laura Loomis
Determination is the name of the game for tennis players this year. Rivaling teams have stepped up the heat, and in perfect time, as MC has lost some strong players and memorable teammates.
“We lost our number one doubles players, and our number one and two, singles players this year,” sophomore Katie Sauer said.
The absence of record-setting Lea Antrobus, who graduated last year after playing varsity tennis for MC, left an impression on this year’s team.
“[Antrobus] was incredible,” Sauer said. “We aspire to be like her.”
Looking past setbacks, this season has proved strong so far, with the team already grabbing a few wins.
“The first [match] went really well,” senior varsity player Savannah Gray said. “Overall, we had good teamwork and by staying together, we do better.”
Elevating their game will be necessary this year, and the players plan to do so through hard work and perseverance.
“We need to work on our consistency and bringing it all to practice every single day,” senior Erica Letzring said. “Even though we did lose some good players, we have a lot of players who are stepping it up this year and trying a lot harder. If we put in the time, we can be just as successful as we were last year.”
In the absence of graduated talent, new potential is created. For the girls tennis team, this is an opportunity to learn from old technique, fill previous roles, and progress forward.
“We plan to find our own strengths while [modeling] last year’s players,” Letzring said. “It worked for old players, such as Lea, so if we use their strategies, we will have success.”
