Grand slam: Pen’s girls varsity tennis team are queens of the court

The girls varsity tennis team is rising to the challenge of the high school tennis scene. Under coaches Barbara Dewitt and Mike Hoeger, whose guidance led the team to a first place finish in the CIF last year, these athletes are training and practicing in order to dominate their opposition. Balancing a busy high school schedule can be difficult, but through self-motivation and passion, they manage on and off court.

Many athletes on the varsity team have started playing tennis at a very young age. They strive to do well in tournaments.

“Tennis has been a part of my life since I was born,” senior and tennis player Kenadi Hance said. “I’m very competitive and play lots of tournaments, and I want to do well in every one of them.”

Since tennis athletes are not usually playing at the same time, they get to spend time together courtside before and after their matches.

“My favorite part of being on the tennis team is hanging out with the team itself,” senior captain Mina Sung said. “Since tennis is mainly an individual sport, playing on Pen’s team allows each member to enjoy the full team experience.”

However, being on the tennis team is not all about “hanging out.” The athletes put in a lot of effort in order to stay in tournament shape.

“The varsity girls spend an average of 16 hours a week training and practicing,” assistant coach Dewitt said. “They practice with the team and often outside as well.”

Players who have other activities after school, such as Sung still practice as much as they can.

“Whenever I have at least one hour of free time, I head out to the courts and practice,” Sung said.

Success depends also on quality coaching.

“Coach Hoeger and Coach Dewitt are great coaches and give awesome advice when matches are close,” Hance said. “They help us with our nerves and our focus.”

Most importantly, the players get a lot of enjoyment out of playing their sport. Their enthusiasm is what compels them to go above and beyond the school program.

“Winning tournaments and matches is not extremely important to me,” Sung said. What’s most important is that I have fun while playing.”