Friday, March 24, 2023

Girls' Tennis by Shelby McCoy

                             Girls' Tennis

        The girl’s tennis team at the Mooresville High School houses many talented and bright souls. They take pride in their games and bring love to the community. 

Sophomore Makenna Spangler had been introduced to high school tennis after playing for her years in middle school. Her hopes for this season are to participate in all of the games and possibly even win a record. She takes pride in playing because it offers her stability and a backbone for growth. 

“We have not played a game yet, but we have one this upcoming Saturday at Decatur. I’m pretty excited to get out there and play,” Spangler said.

Senior Kate Oberle enjoys the sport so much and declared that it has helped her divinely with managing time. Currently she’s preparing to play at higher levels such as college. The games vary from place to place. She enjoys playing singles and says that playing by yourself is relieving as you don’t have to rely on teammates' ability to win or lose. 

“I like playing singles, because it’s easier and just makes sense for me. There’s less pressure and more room for you to breathe and win as you choose,” Oberle said.

Sophomore Edith Overton, exclaims that tennis offered her a lot of new skills for improvement such as stronger communication, extending one's perseverance, and challenging the mindset. She admits that at first tennis was a bit difficult but with time came ease. Everyone is always nice and inclusive and they’re always open to accepting new people. 

Mrs. Danniella Banks, teacher at the school and one of the tennis coaches, discussed that anyone is welcome to join. They have 29 girls on the team as of right now, with the majority returning from last year. They have access to 10 courts meaning there’s plenty of room to accept pretty much anyone willing to put in the effort. There are no tryouts needed, just show up and put in the work. She says that they offer Tennis camp in the summer, off season practices in October through December, and summer practice to those who are curious in the sport and want to become more proficient. 

            “Our captains this season are Kathryn Wymer, Kate Oberle, Alicia Grider and Maleah Soladine. These are really great girls. They show up and work hard for what they earned,” Banks said.

            The tennis team welcomes girls who want to play the game they love. Whether it be this year or the next, they welcome all and encourage others to work hard, and mainly to just have fun! With gratitude and dedication anyone can make this team and make a difference.