Spring Athletics: Tennis — STJ on the Move

by: Kate Rees, junior

by: Kate Rees, junior

Tennis season at Saint James starts in late January and runs through April. We have a JV and Varsity Girls team and a Boy’s Varsity Team. The Varsity Girls’ coach is Geoff Warning at Lagoon Park. The Varsity Boys’ coach is Ben Bradshaw at O’Conner. Tryouts are typically held in November. I am on the Girls’ Varsity tennis team here at Saint James. I enjoy playing tennis and having the opportunity to represent STJ on an athletic team is a unique honor. I also enjoy getting to know my teammates. We have players in grades 7th-12th! The team bonds over the season and makes countless memories. Sometimes we reminisce over past events or matches, and we make new ones with new members. The friendships made are special. It is a privilege to have a group working together towards the same goal to push and motivate one another. We wish each other happy birthdays, congratulate each other on other accomplishments, and reach out when someone is sick or injured. We practice after school Monday through Friday during our season. In late January, preseason practice begins and the first match is early February. Once we have our first match, we hit the ground running! We have matches through April and wrap up with Sectionals to qualify for State. Most matches are played in town, but we enjoy traveling for out of town matches. One match consists of three doubles lines and six singles lines. Five wins are needed to win a match. Saint James has had both Boys and Girls State Champions in tennis. The Varsity Girls Team won the State Championship in 2019. Our daily practices include warmup, drills, scrimmages, conditioning, and serves. During matches, players cheer for teammates on adjacent court. Whether you are having a hard match or made a good shot, it is uplifting to have your peers encourage you!

Last week, we had both the girls and boys varsity teams compete in the 4A Sectional Tournament at Lagoon Park in Montgomery. We had a fantastic end to the season, with senior Bailey Anderson taking home a 4A-5A AHSAA state championship for singles line 6. Congratulations, Trojans!