TOWAMENCIN- Against competitive rival Perkiomen Valley, the girls’ tennis team was unable to secure a non-conference victory this week, but with one more league match left, Coach Danette Strader is pleased with the overall league performances, and sees this 2012 season as a succeassful building block for a young squad.
“The season was not bad,” comments Coach Strader. “We are not done with our league matches yet, we still have one more league match and right now we are 4-2, which is good. If we win Wednesday we will be 5-2 which will put us second or third in the league. And that’s good for the girls. It’s the non-league matches that we have to work harder at.”
The team is composed of 16 female athletes, 4 of them returning seniors.
“This is a young team because I lost eight girls last year – seniors. And when your team is eleven players it is like losing our whole team. So now we are bringing the girls up from JV and training them,” explained Strader. “So it’s going to be an off year. They are doing the best that they can do, which is wonderful. So I am lucky to have them for a couple years now, so next year they will be even better than this year.”
The girls kept their poise through the duration of the match. There is an ominous serenity across the all six courts while the players endure the strenuous nature of the game – sangfroid allows their constant attention, but a single necessary burst of aggression for a save or spike instantly shatters the tranquility.
Support is evident throughout the team as players are eager to cheer and congratulate teammates, and praise one another. Even Coach Strader recognizes the bond her players behold.
“The team was very close and we had a great captain and co-captain [Jenny Apple (Senior) and Isabelle Torhus (Junior)]. They held the team together and they all supported each other, which makes it nicer, so it looks like our team will be much stronger next year,” added Strader.
Before jumping right to next year though, the girls still have one more match before the end of their season. They strive to perfect their serves and bring their A-game as they take on their next opponent: Central Bucks West.
“The next match? We want to win it!” exclaimed Strader. “That’s the match where we would like to be 5-2.” Her biggest concern, however is that “they do their best. If they do their best and lose, I am happy with that. If they do their best and win, I’m happy with that. Either way I am happy with our team.”