The Jacksonville High School girls’ tennis team has started off with a bang! With three games already under their belt, this dedicated team will do anything to stay on top! Coach Joe Brooks has been pushing these girls to the max to ensure a great season that you won’t want to miss. 

Coach Brooks said that his favorite part about coaching is helping the girls reach their full potential. When asked how he thought the team would do this year, he replied, “I have high hopes for these girls. We’ve had a lot of girls join this year, and they all seem to be extremely dedicated. I hope to see them really bring their ‘A game’ to each meet and show these schools what JHS is made of.” With Coach Brooks’s great spirit for this year, this team could dominate. As many know, this is Mr. Brooks’s last year coaching, so the girls are doing everything they can to make his last year the greatest!

Junior Julianne Wilson, in her second year, attended tennis camps as a child. She’s been working extremely hard to make the most of the year. When asked what her favorite part about being on the team was, she said that she loved going to away matches and meeting new people. She also stated that her favorite team to play against was Chatham because they had an amazing campus that she really enjoyed playing on. Julianne also agrees with the coach on the fact that this year’s set of girls are extremely dedicated. She says that she believes the team will dominate every match! 

The tennis team has also welcomed a new player, junior Lilie Floyd. This is her first year at Jacksonville High School and her first year playing tennis. She is a golf transfer so getting used to tennis has been challenging. Lilie says that the hardest thing to learn is serving. “It’s kind of hard to learn how hard the ball needs to be hit and get it in the right square on a serve.” Although she is new, Lilie said the tennis team has made her feel extremely welcome, and she is so happy with her decision to join the team. She stated that everyone on the team is super nice to her and has helped her learn everything she needs to know. Lilie went to her first away meet at Washington Park against Sacred Heart Griffin and said that it was very fun and can’t wait for the next match! 

The tennis team has been working very hard this year to prepare for every meet they attend. The girls are very excited for what this year has to offer and would appreciate support from other Crimsons.