Lady Bears Varsity Tennis Inch Closer to State Goals
The lady bears tennis team recently finished the regular season with an unbelievable 11-0 record, winning every match that came its way.
The team also defeated both Pope and Alpharetta (5-0) to secure their spot in the region tournament.
Head Tennis Coach Laura Broadwell said she is optimistic the team will perform exceptionally well at the tournament.
“Based on how the season went, I believe our team feels confident as we go into the region tournament. We don’t want to take anything for granted, but any time you step out to compete, you want to feel confident,” said Broadwell.
The team did fairly well at the tournament, defeating Dunwoody (5-0) and Centennial (3-0), but unfortunately picked up its first loss of the season to Northview (4-1). This left the team with a total record of 15-1.
“We’ve had a great season so far,” junior and Co-Captain Ann Spurka said in an email interview. “I think our key to victory has been working together and supporting each other every match.”
A rather unfortunate development that occurred for the team over the summer was that their other co-captain, senior Hanna Giddings, was forced to miss most of the season due to knee surgery. Giddings has played an important role for the team since she was a freshman.
As such, Giddings was only able to play one regular season game in a doubles match.
“It was unfortunate not being able to play with my knee, but I have had great support from my teammates to help me get through it,” said Giddings.
In Giddings’s absence, Spurka took on a greater role as Co-Captain and stepped forward to play in the team’s line one singles lineup.
The team has high hopes for the rest of the season, as their performances and second place finish in the region tournament has qualified them for state, which will begin on April 19th. They need to win four state playoff rounds in order to advance to the state finals on May 12.
Some of the more challenging teams the lady bears will face during the state playoffs are Johns Creek, Centennial and Northview, who has already snatched a win against the team.
With this in mind, the bears will look forward to both defeating Northview and winning the State trophy.
