Boys Tennis

1. During practice on Aug. 12, junior Ben Jeschke works on returning the ball across the court. 2. Freshman Jack Butler serves during practice on Aug. 12. Photos by Kathleen Tran.

Facing adversity

Boys tennis see COVID-19, other challenges in season

Ben Rosen rosenben000@hsestudents.org

After a rough start consisting of two consecutive 3-2 losses against Guerin Catholic and North Central, followed by a 4-1 loss against Zionsville in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener, the boys tennis team went undefeated for the rest of the regular season, finishing with an 11-3 record. “The team has performed the best this season when we got our number one singles player back during the season. Then we started going on all cylinders, and we haven’t lost a match since he has returned,” junior Drew Barker said. Junior Andrew Leonard believes there is more to the success than the return of their top singles player. “I feel like the team has been more focused in practice than previous years, which makes a large difference when it comes to matches,” Leonard said. In addition to the team’s mentality being changed, some of their traditions have been altered. According to Barker, COVID-19 has impacted the team’s methods in a few different ways. This season, only immediate family members were allowed to attend matches, and the team was not allowed to have shared meals to celebrate the aftermath of a match. “This season has been drastically different for us,” Barker said. “For some of the simple things, we can’t shake hands and we must always wear masks in introductions.” Barker added that the players need to be careful this season due to COVID-19 concerns and take precautions as an entire group, not just certain individuals. “We have to be much more careful because if we, the players, test positive, we have to sit out 10 days of our season,” Barker said.

Each match has become more significant because the season could be suspended at any given moment, meaning that matches against rival HSE, a fellow sectional member, and conference opponent Zionsville, one of the three consecutive losses to start the season, carried more importance. Despite this added importance, the team was up to the challenge. “HSE and Zionsville both play with great energy which is actually a bigger part of your game,” junior Logan Kay said. “Both teams had a bunch of experienced players who were really talented.” The teams season ended on Oct. 1 as they lost to HSE in the sectional championship match by the score of 4-1.