The future of Xavier Prep tennis is in good hands.
Two freshman
teams were unleashed and proceeded to have outstanding seasons, 11-0 for the
Blue Team and 8-2 for the Green Team, signaling optimism for the Varsity group
over the next few years.
The Blue and
the Green combined to have five unbeaten singles players – Julia Chrostowski
and Gabrielle Dinan for the Green Team and Lara Shennib, Chayse Clingan and
Nitya Reddymasu for the Blue.
All of this
was accomplished without a “true’’ home, while the school’s tennis center was
being reconstructed and upgraded. Most of the home matches were played at
neighboring Central High. Among the top competitive opponents were Chandler
Hamilton, Scottsdale Desert Mountain, Tempe Corona del Sol and Scottsdale Notre
Dame Prep.
Between the
Green and Blue teams and the non-competitive practice squads, 71 players
participated. The 54 beginning players practiced on Fridays for seven weeks.
According to
head coach Judith Hernandez, all of the inexperienced players learned how to
hold a racquet, how to score, and how important that fitness and footwork are
to the game. The learning curve continued with the reliance on the forehand,
the backhand and the serve. Starting with Week 7, these girls played their
first tennis game with their teammates.
Hernandez
could not have done all of this alone. She had four assistants (Amy Gallo, Ford
Oliver, Barbara Holcomb and Lara Murphy) and hard-working senior team manager
Alison Harris.
”I am
grateful to the coaches and (athletic) staff members who helped make Freshman
Tennis possible during the construction of the new tennis courts,’’ Hernandez
said.
She added
that the goal of Freshman Tennis at Xavier is to provide players who have
tennis experience the opportunity to compete with teams from other schools.
“We are also very fortunate at Xavier to have
the ability to offer a no-cut season (started years ago by Varsity coach Laurie
Martin) to players who have the desire to learn a new sport. Tennis can be a
life-long sport and we are privileged to have the support of the administration
to offer Freshman Tennis.’’
And the
goals of everyone can reach beyond the court.
“Connecting
with students who enjoy the game is a wonderful way to build lasting
friendships during the season,’’ Hernandez said. “The coaching staff couldn’t
be more proud of the way the players have come together as teammates who
supported each other on and off the court.
“The Green
and Blue competitive teams had the opportunity to experience a tennis season
that helped each of them learn about themselves as competitive players. It was
important to us as a team to instill in each player to be a gracious loser as
well as a gracious winner.’’
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