Rain, rain, go away… the tennis team wants to play! April has been full of rain so far, and this has significantly affected the teams schedule of matches and practices. However, the team currently has a 6-2 record, with wins against Elkton, Joppatowne, and Edgewood, and two very close matches against Rising Sun and Perryville that ended in a loss.
Coach Mr. Bryant Siegfried offered his thoughts on the season so far. He stated that “[They] have quite a few new kids, and [he] think[s] it’s a different round of tennis…There’s been a lot of improvement on the varsity team, and [they’ve been able] to bring some JV players on from before…And they’re definitely holding [their] ground.” Overall, he knows they’re going to have “…a very good season, and [they] have potential to win the division.”
The team has faced numerous challenges, including forfeiting singular matches due to the lack of male players, having many rescheduled games because of rain, and keeping the confidence of their players up. However, they have “…a lot of experienced girls on the varsity team, and they understand how to win the game.” Oftentimes, the girls have swept in their matches, meaning that every girls match was won by North Harford.
Their hardest match this season has been against Rising Sun, and this made players “…a lot more nervous.” according to Siegfried. “They didn’t play to their full potential because they were afraid of missing their shots, so it made it tougher… but [he is] confident that by the time [they] play [Rising Sun] again, [they’ll] be better prepared.”
Coach Mr. Carey Webb added that “It’s been great to see new players come out…” and see the improvements in those players over the first half of the season. Webb’s favorite part of coaching the team is “…seeing, especially the new players, but everybody improve on something they’ve been working on or implementing something that may have challenged them…it makes it worthwhile to coach and pour some energy into it.” Siegfried agreed, exclaiming that, “Seeing [the players] improve is just tremendous… and knowing that you’re making a positive impact on them… and watching their excitement when they hit a good shot.”
The team will be looking for many players next year, as they’re losing five seniors. If you’re looking to try out, Webb says, “Don’t be apprehensive, [they] have very experienced coaches to help… [they] just need people to take a chance! You get to be part of a very unique team sport,” and Siegfried says that while, “The team may lose the match, you could win yours, so you get the best of both worlds.”
The seniors also offered their advice to players for next season. Girls singles player Stella Manns advises, “Don’t be afraid to talk to the upperclassmen – they want to talk to you. [She] started playing tennis freshman year on varsity, and it was very scary, but all the older kids are really nice. It’s a really welcoming community.” One of her favorite memories from the sport is “the Manchester Valley match from last year, where [she] played with [fellow senior] Cara Dyke. Everybody else had lost, and [they] were the last ones on the courts. But [they] were able to secure the win.” She also enjoyed playing at regionals last year with junior Emma Clayton.
Boys singles player Logan Harrity said “Don’t get frustrated over the little stuff; a lot goes into tennis, more than you think. If you hit the ball wrong, the serve hits the net… don’t get too upset about it, because stuff will happen.”
Girls doubles player Mekenzie McCann said her best piece of advice is to “Stay out of your head and always try your hardest, even when you feel like giving up.” McCann’s favorite part of the sport is “The bond of the team; everyone gets along really well, and it’s always a super fun season.”
Girls doubles player Cara Dyke explained that her best advice is that, “Tennis might seem like an easy sport, but deep down, there’s a lot of learning to it and a lot of repetition. [She thinks] it’s hard, but don’t give up. Tennis is a mental sport, so you can get in your head a lot, so you just have to find a way to try and get out of your head once you get there.” Dyke added that her favorite memory is playing doubles at Manchester Valley with Manns, and the points being very back-and-forth, which caused the match to be close to two hours long. However, they were able to ultimately win.
Finally, girls doubles player Emily Johnson stated that her piece of advice is, “Take each match one point at a time. One mistake will not define the entire match, and making mistakes doesn’t define you either. Everybody will hit the ball out or have off days – just try not to stress over it.” Her favorite memories are “Winning a tough singles match, playing doubles with [junior Jenna Roh], and the chaotic bus rides to and from matches.” She also added that she’s made great friendships through the sport, and will miss her teammates a lot next year.
