Written By: Olivia McPherson, Staff Writer, and Ariel Connell, Staff Writer
COMPETITIVE: By the end of the fall season, Poly’s girls tennis team has greatly succeeded with a 3-4 record.
Last year, the Poly Girls Tennis team made it to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). This year, the team is putting forth their best effort to be as good as they can be for the new season. Haley Holmes (9) shares that the team is “trying to make it to CIF [again].”
According to Captain Reagan Grigsby (12), players “normally, [have] 2 games per week… and then practice all the other days except for Friday” so they are as prepared as possible. While working hard on the courts, players also rely on time management to push them through their busy schedules. Sometimes it is hard to complete homework because players may be getting “home really late and [are] really tired,” according to Josephine Grey (10), but most players, like Captain Reagan Grigsby (12), “try to get homework done before practice.”
If you are looking to try a new sport, tennis may be the one for you. Player Olivia Steele (10) shares that everyone is “like a big group of friends,” and if you “make sure [to] work hard,” you are sure to find success. Coach Nick Mateljan makes sure all players get to play a match, so that all players get experience. Every match, the junior varsity players double up and play games while varsity works hard to win the matches.
This season has been “a lot of fun,” Ally Taynton (10), with girls “definitely want[ing] to play next year.” The team bond is “really close,” Josephine Grey (10), and the girls all get along well. This year, the team has been amazing, but they still have more games to come if they want to qualify for CIF. Currently, the team is fighting with North for third place and the chance to go to the playoffs. Good luck to the girls tennis team!