By the time the Spring Tournament season starts, it will have been four months since the Bulldog Tennis team last stepped foot on the court against another school. This time though, they’re competing against multiple adversaries. 

“One thing I like about tennis is that we have a different format in the fall than we do in spring,” Head coach Jason Maroney said. “Getting into tournament season, it’s always fun to go to big tournaments and trying to get players to win awards as individuals.”

But how does the spring season compare to the fall? What really separates the two, even though it’s the same sport?

“Spring season consists mostly of individual tournaments that prepare us for the district tournament,” Maroney said. “At district tournaments, players can advance to regionals in either singles or doubles, if they place first or second. We have district matches, and then the top four teams in the district make the playoffs.”

With such a large time gap between the Fall and Spring season, how has the team grown, and developed their skills? 

“I’ve grown a fair amount since Fall Season, and that is mostly due to the different strategies that I have been able to put into practice with my partner,” Senior Allison Williams said. “We have better communication and better plays than when this year began.”

This four month time interval also allows for maturing. A time of reflection based on all your wins, and all your losses. To figure out what works, and what doesn’t.

“A valuable lesson I learned is that if you’re going to beat someone, you need to think two steps ahead of them,” Sophomore Andrew Wood said. “To know where they are going to hit the shot and be able to place it where you think if they hit it back, you can put it away.”

With there still being a month before our players go head-to-head against district, they have plenty of time to get back into the groove of things and further their expertise. 

“I’m very confident because I’ve been practicing so hard this year,” Junior Madison Chism said.

The Bulldog Tennis Team’s first game will be a Junior Varsity tournament on the twenty-first of February, hosted by the Longview High School Lobos.