Girls varsity tennis started on a sweltering early August day, and the girls have been practicing regularly since then. Their hard work has paid off, making their record 8-1 as of September 8th.
“We have improved greatly since last year because of the great coaches,” said junior tennis player Nina Waszak.
From the look on the season so far, Illiana Christian may be their biggest competitor, being the only school the team has lost to so far.
“The hardest team was definitely Illiana, since they were the only team we lost to. They won 6-1,” said head coach Bob Hegner. Even with their one loss, the girls beat schools including Addison Trail, Montini, Elk Grove, Fenton, Morton, and Elmwood Park, with a sweep against Fenton and a near sweep against Morton.
The team is happy with the season so far. “It’s going pretty well. The team as a whole has won most matches,” Caitlin Boxell, junior tennis player, said.
Hegner is also happy with the way the team is playing. “Well, I mean, we’ve been doing really well. I’m happy with how the season is turning out,” he said.
Hegner has been doing a fantastic job of keeping the team morale up. “Coach has been really inspirational. The theme of the season has been the Thoreau quote ‘We build castles in the sky,’” said Boxell. She later explained that the quote is to inspire the team to start with a solid foundation and build their skills from the ground up.