The tennis team is back for its spring season of individual play after new Coach Dylan Strickland led it to a region quarterfinal berth in the fall.

  “Strickland shows us great strategies and works with us individually,” senior Marcela Guevara said. “He makes us feel confident and very supported.”

  Strickland said his team is strong because of the seniors and their leadership.

  “This group of seniors is very special,” Strickland said. “They are very tight-knit on and off the court, and that leads to great team chemistry.  As for leadership, I like to say they walk it more than they talk it. They get out there every single day and give 100 percent effort no matter the circumstances. Energy like that is contagious and rubs off on the younger kids which really helps fuel a successful program.”

  Since the team went farther than any team in SHS history in the fall, players plan to carry that momentum into the spring season.

  “I did really well in the fall season,” senior Jason Giesbrecht said. “I’m trying to get to regionals in the spring as well and do the best I can.”

  After COVID-19 stopped last year’s season,  seniors see the end of a shortened career.

  “I feel pressure,” senior Paulina Morales Mendoza said. “This is our last year and Marcela and I want to make it to state since we’ve been close a lot. I’m sad too because high school tennis is almost over for me.”

  Senior Lauren Smith has been close to state several times as well; however, she’s decided to not let the nerves get to her.

  “I don’t want to focus on going to state too much,” Smith said. “I’ve decided that I need to have fun playing tennis. If I make it then that’s great, but if I don’t, it’s not the end of the world.”

  The tennis team is hosting a quad meet today and tomorrow as they continue with individual-qualifying play.

Strickland hopes that the success of the fall season will carry into the spring.

  “The results from fall are a huge boost to our team’s confidence moving forward,” Strickland said. “Finally breaking through the ceiling and getting further than any team in school history gives these kids the confidence they need to go out and play their best tennis on a daily basis. I believe that this will lead to even better results this spring.”