Spring is growing near, and so are the sports that take place in the last few months of the school year. Athletes in sports such as soccer and track are going to tryouts after school. One of these notable tryouts is girls tennis.
“For varsity, I have 24 trying out. For JV, I’d say we have a total of 40 girls. We have 60 going out for tennis this year,” says coach Simone Pendleton. The varsity team has a limited number of players, meaning over 20 girls will be vying for a team with only 11 spots. Reflecting on how many more girls have been trying out lately, Pendleton reasons that “I think it’s because it is a no-cut program on the JV program level, and I really promote it because it’s a great sport. If you’re going to learn a sport later in life, now is the time. I really want girls to come out and be part of the team!”
Deme E. ‘26 has been playing tennis since she was little. “I love playing tennis. I think it’s a great way to have some physical activity in your life as well as making really good friends.” She reflects on the varsity tryouts: “I think it’s because of the great program that we have here. It’s really fun and engaging. There are ways where it can be a very highly-competitive sport, but it also can just be a good time to just relax in stress-free physical activity.”
“I didn’t play tennis for school last year,” states Rayne B ‘27. “I tried out this year because all of my friends were doing it last year, but I was on Poms so I didn’t have time.” Many others say that their friends drew them to this sport. It’s welcoming and non-cut, meaning that someone can play tennis at HHS as their main sport, or use it to stay in shape and have fun between the seasons of their main sports.
All in all, girls tennis tryouts have gone more smoothly this year than last year, while having even more girls trying out. Players eagerly await what team they will be placed on for this upcoming season.