She swung at the little, yellow ball as hard as she could. Her shoes dragged on the court. Back and forth. Senior Alondra Gonzales knew that these matches would be her last in high school, and she had to make this season count.

“I am trying to make this year fun, but to do this, I need to win while positively handling the stress,” Gonzales said. “I know that I will almost always be able to play tennis no matter how old I get, but playing competitively for the school is a completely different experience. I need to make good memories, work hard and win.”

Having already started district play, the tennis team is preparing for post season.

“I am looking forward to going to area and regionals,” junior Chris Lopez Delgado said. “I think we are doing well so far in district and have a good chance to go further. To get better, we work on volley and serving drills.”

Levelland and Brownfield comprise the competition the team faces in district. On Aug. 29, the tennis team played Levelland losing, 4-15.

“Our biggest problem against Levelland was that we were having problems moving our feet,” senior Caanon Gibbons said. “This loss doesn’t affect me though. I still plan on us advancing further out of district than last year. I think we can do it too if we play up to our potential.”

Continuing play between district tennis meets, the team played in Andrews on Sept. 15.

“This weekend we did pretty well,” senior Sebastian Salazar said. “Most of us made it pretty far. I think that we can take most of the teams we have to play, if we work together and harder.”

First year player, junior Taylor McGehee, is learning how to play and adapt to varsity tennis. “It has been challenging in a good way,” McGehee said. “I am not too good at stroking the ball and knowing how to serve and volley. I am good at forehands, and my athletic ability has made me a good enough player to be on varsity. When playing for the first few times, I had a hard time because I did not expect the different kinds of serves other teams had. My goal right now is to try and win every match and go as far as I can.”

Players step into leadership roles left by graduates. “Last year I was the number two and came in as a freshman and had to learn everything,” sophomore Jasmin Klassen said. “Now I have to become the number one spot and be good enough to fill Debbie’s shoes. Sometimes coach tells me he forgets that I am so young and begins to expect things I am working on but haven’t had enough time to master. This year I plan to gain experience…In order to achieve this though I am going to have to work on my consistency and footwork. If I decide to slack off then I won’t be able to reach my goals and have an amazing year.”

The tennis team will travel to Shallowater tomorrow for non-district play.