The Warren Central girls tennis team will start their new season on April 2 against Lawrence Central and plan to continue off of their success from last season.
“Last season was a really good season for the girls and me. Our one doubles team went to sectionals and succeeded in it, and it has been a while since Warren has done so,” senior Christie-Anna Hicks said. “Personally it was good because I played better than I ever have and put my two years of playing to good use.”
As a team, the Warriors were knocked out in the semifinals of sectionals last year against Lawrence Central by a close score of 2-3. The team believes they have the potential this season to win sectionals this season and make a successful state run.
“I hope to win sectionals as a team. It would be a nice ending to all the seniors last year and an awesome experience for the freshmen,” senior Morgan Oconitrillo said.
Individually, the girls only had one double advance to regionals, which consisted of Oconitrillo and senior Ashley Jarels.
“It was my very first season on a high school tennis team since I’m homeschooled, so it was very fun and exciting. My doubles partner and I actually made it to regionals, which was a very cool experience,” Oconitrillo said. “It was a really amazing feeling because all our hard work and trials paid off.”
While the team played well last season, they know they still have a variety of different skills to work on and improve upon. They are going to stay dedicated and continuously work hard in order to perform at their highest capabilities.
“The team can improve by listing our combined goals and each individual girl’s goals and setting our mind towards them. I think we sometimes get too worried about future events, like matches or tournaments, that we forget that were preparing for it and lose focus on practice. So focusing on the present can help us improve,” Hicks said.
Luckily, the Lady Warriors have a great coaching staff that will greatly help them through their improvement stage and ready them for their season.
“Our head coach has helped us immensely with the teams potential and each individual girls potential. When he is working with someone he makes sure that they know what they're doing wrong and how to fix it,” Hicks said. “He also took the time to make sure each of us are prepared months before our season.”
The team is setting high goals for both regular season and postseason and also hoping to see their hard work pay off at the end of the season. However, while the girls are dedicated towards success, they are making sure that they do not forget the reason they are playing, and that is their love for the game and their teammates.
“It’s nice to take a break from school work or my phone to just spend time outside and work out. I also enjoy the friendships tennis has brought me and being there for the girls when they need me,” Hicks said.