This year’s girls tennis season for JV was unique compared to previous seasons due to having a large team and having the lineup change throughout the season. Despite this, JV girls were able to pull through and take first place at conference and dominated this season.

   The season record was 14-1, with the only loss being to Boylan. However, this season didn’t come without its struggles.

   Guilford had a robust 48 girls on the team this year. While this would make a great football lineup, it does not translate well into the tennis world, as there are only 16 spots on the conference lineup. Having such a big team and so few spots available made it quite difficult to figure out who belonged where.

   “Just trying to figure out the right lineup with the amount of girls we had was the biggest struggle,” said coach David Woosley.

   Not knowing the lineup also made it hard for the athletes to anticipate how well they would play, especially double players, since it is imperative to know their partner’s playing style so they can play more cohesively together. Without this knowledge of each other, it can mess up one or both of the players during the match.

   What led to this season’s success, though, was the strong team connection with everyone.

   “The team was pretty good,” said senior Thiri Thar, JV doubles two player. “I think the togetherness helped us win matches. It made us feel more confident about playing.”

   Going into the conference, Guilford was tied for first place with Hononegah with eight points each. This put even more pressure on the athletes as it meant they had to work even harder to secure their win. In the end, JV girls tennis was able to win conference by five points, having a total of 55 points, giving the team its second conference win in a row.

   “I was nervous because it was my first time at conference,” said sophomore Riley Fabert, JV doubles three player. “But my coaches and teammates helped cheer me up.”