Jess V, Leanne R, Jasmine L, Jaycie D

Introduction/Background

While Tennis was originally played by Victorian families, through the years it has evolved and adapted, and now Middleboro High School claims it as one of its main sports. Since it had first been evolved from a French Handball game, Tennis had slowly been gaining popularity until it exploded in the 1970s due to broadcasting. Some of the most well-known athletes are seasoned tennis players, including the two sisters Venus and Serena Williams. Even though the MHS girl’s tennis team is not broadcasted all around the world, the players exhibit the same enthusiasm and dedication to their sport as the professionals do. Their coach, Mr. DeFelice, started coaching the team four years ago (his first year was when this year’s seniors were freshmen), and has vastly improved the team since his arrival. His first and second year he and his team made it all the way to tournament, and even though the team did not make it last year, with their perseverance and coaching, the team has another strong shot this year.

Biggest Offseason Move/Key Additions

To start off the season we have multiple new athletes interested in playing. There are many freshman but there are also a decent amount of upperclassman who want to play as well. Most of these players have very little experience holding a racket so the team has started meeting early before the season starts. These captains practices will help the new girls with the basics like how to hold the rackets and how to hit the ball properly.

Biggest Offseason Loss/Key Departures

Last year the team graduated two key players of the team. Senior Erin Early played all four years of tennis. She worked her way up from the JV team, to doubles, then to second singles. She was named the captain of the team along with a different game captain each match. The second player was senior Angie Foley. Angie started playing in her sophomore year and stayed at the JV level. However, when one of the seven varsity players couldn’t play, she would fill in for them. Both seniors brought passion, spirit, and dedication to the team. They will both be greatly missed in the upcoming season.

Reasons For Confidence

The MHS Girls tennis team has a lot to look forward to this upcoming spring season. The team has a lot of new players who are ready to learn, and contribute to the team. Though not all of them may have played much or at all before, they have the ability to improve on their skills quickly, and have a lot of potential to contribute to the team’s success this season or the next few seasons to come. There are also many returning players, who will greatly contribute to this year’s hope for success. With players such as Sarah Stearns and the seniors, MHS has a strong team to put forward this season.  Middleboro High School’s athletic department has been moved into a new league this past fall, a league where we have already had greater success in other sports. The tennis team is very hopeful that this new league will give them more wins and a trip to the tournament.

Reasons For Concern

However, the girl’s tennis team may have some problems this upcoming season. Even though there are many freshmen interested in playing tennis, the number one and two singles players from last year(Erin Early ‘16 and Abbey Logan ‘17) have left the courts. Also, with the new season approaching fast, this does not give the girls a lot of time to get back into a routine. The freshmen and new players who have never held a racket before also do not have much time to learn the skills and rules of the game before the girl’s first game on April 6th against East Bridgewater. The girls tennis team should also be concerned about the new league because even though there was successes for other teams this year, the team does not know what they are up against.

Predictions

Coming off from an average season last year, the girl’s tennis team has a good chance of going to tournament this year. Even though their number one and two singles players have left, Sarah Stearns and the seniors will help contribute to this year’s success. There may also be some underclassmen who will surprise and help the team. With a new league comes with problems of not knowing who they are up against, but hopefully the team can use this to their advantage. I believe the girl’s tennis team will make it to their second game of their tournament. Good luck, girls!