Serving up confidence A team led by seniors, a chance for freshmen to learn Abby Miller
milleabi002@hsestudents.org
Boy tennis is currently 11-1 throughout team competition
Seniors Logan Kay and Nathan Simkins charge the net during a point against Jeffersonville at the North Central There are three Invatational on Aug. 29. Photo by Abby Miller. singles matches had to shift the lineup,” Kay oys tennis is in full swing, and two doubles Simkins believes that enjoying said. It’s just been hard because and they have had a the sport is the key to success. matches per team I normally play doubles, so now successful start to the For him, playing a match with his competition.
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The second doubles team is undefeatd this season.
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season. They were ranked eighth in the state at the beginning of the season and have won their first six matches. With a team led by seniors, confidence has played a role in their success. “I feel way more confident because now I know all the people [from other teams] that I have been playing [against] for four years,” senior Nathan Simkins said. “I really go in with a lot of confidence.” Senior Logan Kay said that putting in work over the past four years has also made him feel a lot more confident. Nevertheless, there were still some challenges in the beginning of the season. “The first couple of weeks, a couple of our players have been injured or sick and so we have
Tiger Times
I have to adjust and I’ve been playing a little bit of singles.” With five of the seven varsity players being seniors, the team has a lot of collective experience. However, for the younger athletes like freshman Aidan Foley, playing varsity is an opportunity to gain experience. “I was a little nervous, but it was fun,” Foley said. “I get a lot more experience and then when I’m older, I will get less nervous.” For Foley, being on a team with so many seniors has helped him. Especially senior Drew Barker. “At the beginning of the season, he was really supportive of me,” Foley said. “We were originally going to be doubles partners, but we weren’t. He’s usually super supportive.”
teammates is what makes it fun. Sometimes, as an underclassman, there may be a little bit more stress,” Simkins said. “I would just say relax.” On Aug. 28, seniors Andrew Leonard and Drew Barker placed first in the second doubles division at the North Central Invitational. Some advice that Leonard would give the underclassmen is to stop comparing themselves to others. “It’s very inaccurate because they might not enjoy it quite as much and they won’t work as hard.” Leonard said. “Where you are now doesn’t define where you could finish.” The team will be back on the court to play Cathedral at Fishers on Sept. 21, at 5 p.m.
September 2021
