Quincy, Chatham (Glenwood), Lanphier, Macomb, Decatur, and Springfield–these are just some of the places where the JHS girls’ tennis team travels to compete in meets. Only the top six players on the team get to travel to the meets. The JHS girls’ tennis team practices at the IC courts every day after school until five unless there is a meet that day. The coaches for the teams are Mr. Joe Brooks and Mr. Harmon Deal, assistant coach.
The JHS girls’ tennis team consists of thirteen girls on junior varsity and six girls on the varsity team. The seniors on the team and also team captains for this year are Gabbi Mann, Hannah Scobbie, Marren Hagen, Gwyn Barron, and Anna Anderson. During practices, the girls mostly scrimmage with each other and do drills. At home meets, the varsity teams play only a match while the junior varsity team plays eight game pro set. An eight game pro set is played exactly like a standard match, switching sides when the set score is odd and playing out deuces. However, in an eight game pro set, the first team to eight wins all.
Emily Maul, a member on the junior varsity team, says. “Playing tennis has been the most enjoyable part of my years at JHS so far.” Several other girls on the JHS tennis team said similar things. All of the girls seem to love the sport and put their whole heart into it.
Most of the girls on the team got to play at the Jacksonville Invite last year because it was a home meet. However this year there was a mix up and the IC tennis courts were already booked, so the Jacksonville Invite had to be held in Chatham. This meant that only the top six girls on the team got to travel to Chatham to compete in the Invite. Although this was upsetting to the team, the girls on junior varsity know that they will get their chance to shine at the home meets.