Laced up tennis shoes. Light clothes for maximum range of mobility. Racket and ball in hand. Game face on. The Varsity Tennis team heads to the District tournament this week.
Seniors Max Kyser, Jeremy Miller, Avery Powell, Travis Pratt, and Melanie Scott, along with Juniors Kyle Miller, Myia Sims, Cole Trammel, Sophomores Zack Mockler, Noelle Piatas and Caroline Stogner and Freshman Briana Sims will represent the Lions in the tournament.
The team benefits from Senior leadership. Captains Jeremy Miller and Avery Powell each bring different things to the table as a captain. Younger kids on the team look up to Jeremy as a leader; he is someone older who can encourage them to pursue excellence in every area of tennis.
Jeremy said, “I approached this tennis season with a new perspective. We want to win, and I believe we have the players to do just that.”
Avery has been playing tennis for six years. For three years, she played competitively for the Lakes Tennis Academy in Frisco. Halfway through Freshman year, however, she decided to quit tournaments and play with the school.
She plays doubles with partner Senior Melanie Scott, and the pair is looking for a chance at redemption this year. She said, “We have some pretty big plans, especially because it is our one last chance at a State run.”
The Senior leadership is backed by a strong group of returning players. The large number of upperclassmen builds the closeness of the team as a whole. Bonds between grades are much stronger, and the team plays better because of them.
Junior Logan Doyle said, “I really enjoyed having a group of Seniors that cared. They made practice fun and matches exciting.”
A strong class of Juniors follows after them as well. Junior Myia Sims also played tennis for many years outside of school. Her outside experience helps her dominate the singles competition with strong wins over Trinity Christian and Bishop Lynch this season.
Myia likes to keep in top shape for tennis season. She said, “I work hard outside of practice to make sure that I can keep up with the other competitors. Winning isn’t everything, but it feels great to come out on top after all of my hard work.”
Melanie said, “I enjoyed playing JPII because they challenged me. I like an evenly-matched opponent.”
The team will begin tournament play Tuesday.
