One of Texas High’s biggest rivals in tennis are the Pleasant Grove Hawks. Although Pleasant Grove is classified in a 4A district, it is well known for its good tennis program in Texarkana. Despite both tennis teams not being in the same district, it is a well known rivalry in town and the most fun one to watch.
So many competitive matches were played in the Texas High courts, where every single player fought for every single point, no matter the score or the momentum. It was the girls’ singles matches that were leaning them towards victory against the Hawks.
Senior Grace Wilson, who has been in varsity since her freshman year, plays some of her best tennis in singles to show the young varsity girls how to play aggressively and consistently on the court. With this being her last year on varsity, Wilson wants to lead as a great example for the young ones.
“I want all the girls to make sure that they’re having fun because practices can drain you and you can get burned out,” Wilson says. “I just want the girls to have fun, but also stay focused because along with burnout comes lack of motivation and things like that. So it’s important to stay focused while also having fun.”
Senior Brooklyn Ballard entered the varsity team in her last year of high school and won her match very comfortably, despite her doubles loss.
“It feels good because I tried out last year and I didn’t make it,” Ballard says. “So this year when I made it, and I won quite a few of my matches, it felt really good to finally get that feeling of being on varsity.”
The double matches were equal to 4-4, including the boys, girls, and mixed doubles. The boys, on the other hand, struggled gaining momentum during their singles matches. Only one out of eight matches were won by the Tigers. Junior Alan Miller struggled with his doubles match and fought hard in his singles with a tight score. Despite the loss in doubles, there is a benefit in playing doubles before singles.
“Doubles definitely warms us up,” Miller said. “It helps us with our serves and volleys and just gets us in the game winning mindset.”
The match came to a close with the score of 10-9. Sophomore Hayden Henry played a long match as she was the last player that could seal the deal against Pleasant Grove.
“My singles match was really close. I was down at the beginning and I wasn’t sure that I could pull it out,” Henry says. “I ended up coming back and playing a tie-breaker and winning it.”
With the Tigers taking the win, it will be a boost for the players to play better against Lindale. Every day there is something new the players can improve on their game and still be the best team in town, as they had shown it against the hawks with a big roar.
