“The Thief” smashes a serve over the net. “C-sizzle” meets an opponent’s challenge as she hits the ball right back at them. “Messed up D” hits a drop shot just over the net.
While unfamiliar to most of the student body, to a member of the womens tennis team, these nicknames represent how close the team has become over the course of the season.
“They’re all pretty silly,” JV tennis coach Kayla Phillips said. “Every time the team gets together and does a cheer, they like to cheer ‘balls,’ instead of ‘Patriots’ or ‘go team,’ so they think that’s goofy.”
At times, the team can get a bit distracted, but this is clearly not reflected in Varsity’s 4-2 record.
“For some reason, ice cream and braids in our hair seem to be the chosen activities instead of warm-ups or conditioning,” Phillips said.
Although the team likes to joke around, Varsity still managed to beat Bothell 7-0 on March 24, and Mt. Si 4-3 on April 17.
The team is planning to send two players, senior Sadie Demme and sophomore Sienna Rice, to the KingCo and State competitions, for which they are optimistic.
“Sadie and Sienna have played very well this year as singles, and have a good shot at heading to State and doing well there,” Phillips said.
To qualify for State, players must first compete against Sammamish, the only other 2A tennis team in our region. Then they move on to Districts and proceed to the State tournament if successful.
The State tournament will be held May 29-30 at Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle.