Having a team of seniors who have played together all four years of high-school, the girl’s tennis team looked to finish their senior season strong.
“Our goal this season was to not get overly confident and comfortable with last season’s record, but to use that success to show the girls what level they are capable of and to motivate the girls to reach a higher potential this year,” coach Ali Foster said.
Knowing this season would be their last together, the girl’s wanted to make sure they made it a season to remember individually and as a team.
“My partner and I were the 1 seed in the conference, “ senior Jenna Mohler said. “This meant a lot to me because this was my last year playing tennis in high school, and to have an undefeated conference record that led to being first seed, I felt like I could finally leave feeling accomplished.”
“With the varsity team having seven seniors, we all struggled with leaving,” senior Mikayla Kelly said. “I know for me personally, I couldn’t have imagined a better team for senior year, and although we didn’t have as good of a season as my junior year, we won multiple tournaments and always showed up to play our best tennis.”
Having played together for four years, the tennis team has found ways to bond closer with each other.
“We support each other and all bring a lot of positivity,” senior Juliana Macaulay said. “We love jamming out on the mini bus and cheering each other on at games.”
“My favorite way we bond is the bus rides to matches and team dinners,” junior Kerrigan Seneker said.
Foster, praised her girls for the way they adapted to having a new coach when they had the same coach for the previous three years.
“It’s always a challenge adapting to a new coach, a new coaching style, and learning new drills; however, the girls were team players anytime we encountered any bumps in the road,” Foster said. “They remained motivated and focused and overcame the transition.”
The girls may not have had the season they hoped for in the beginning, but there were highlights along the way, nonetheless.
“The highlight of the season for me was winning the Joliet Township Invite because the Joliet coach announced our victory by saying ‘in a surprising upset, Plainfield Central takes first’,” Kelly said.
“A highlight of my season was definitely the Riverside-Brookfield tournament,” Mburu said. “We went undefeated and the team took first.”