HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS CAREER COMES TO A CLOSE
  
By Tara Suess, Ardrey Kell High School 

As the final weeks of my last season of high school tennis at Ardrey Kell began to come to a close, my doubles partner, Corinne Proudfoot, and I had never before advanced to the NC regional’s tennis tournament.  As senior’s, we decided that no matter how challenging it may be, we were determined to win our conference tournament matches so that we could qualify for regionals.  Losing would leave us disappointed in our last opportunity to reach this goal and simply was not an option.

            Our first conference tournament match was played against Butler High School.  It was not an overly difficult match, yet we had no room to brag, either.  Nonetheless, we won, and the pressure was on for our second match.  We were paired against the top doubles team at Independence High School.  (I feel it’s necessary to state that the ability of the women’s tennis team at Independence is often overlooked, but these girls possess an incredible amount of talent and passion for the game.)

            As we walked out on the court to greet our opponents, we were cordial and friendly, but the air around us was tense, as Corinne and I were nervous for the outcome of the match.  These girls were tough; combining unbeatable net play (you couldn’t get a shot past them!) and great consistency, resulting in a close first set that we were able to win at 6-4.  Corinne and I fell during the second set, with the Independence pair sweeping us by a score of 6-0.  As we entered our third hour and third set of the match, we took a break to relax and regroup.  It seemed that maybe this was all we really needed.  We walked back onto the court with confidence, deciding that this was it- without winning this match, we could ultimately lose our last chance at qualifying for regional's.  We pulled our game together and finished the match, winning the third set 6-0.  We were so shocked; we couldn’t believe what we had finally achieved!

            Now we soon face our regional tournament with a chance of going to the state tournament if we can keep our game together and play to the best of our ability.  I had a chance to sit down with my partner, Corinne, and ask her some questions about how she feels about all this.

As a senior, this is your first time advancing to the regional’s tournament in high school tennis.  How do you feel about this?

“I was really excited that I had advanced to the regional tournament.  Tara and I have been on the team for four years and we’ve never gotten this far, so it was a big accomplishment for both of us.”

You participated in another tournament earlier this fall in which you played doubles as well.  What was this tournament and what title did you win?

“I played at the USTA tournament in Mobile, AL with  Becky Vaglio.”

Do you feel that your hard work and devotion to tennis has paid off, or do you feel there is still more that your or the team could’ve done to prepare?

“I think that the Ardrey Kell team worked really hard this year to get where it is today.  We all put in a lot of effort and it paid off.”            

What were the thoughts going through your mind as we began to play our match against Independence?  What did you predict would be the outcome?

“Although Tara and I were playing the top girls team at Independence, we went into the match with a positive attitude.  Encouraging each other throughout the match allowed us to win.”

Our game changed tremendously as we entered the third set of our match against Independence.  What did you change about your attitude or game that allowed you to personally play better and improve our team dynamic?

“The second set did not go so well for Tara and I, but we were not going to give up.  We were both determined to go to regionals and we weren’t going to let anything stand in our way.”

How did you feel after finally winning that long match?

“Tara and I were extremely excited after winning the long match against Independence.  We even had a victory dance in the parking lot because we were finally going to regionals.”

What do you think we could do as a doubles team to better increase our chances at advancing in the regional’s tournament?

“As a team, we need to stay positive throughout the match.  Tara and I will need to run for every shot and not give up.”

Because this is your senior year and you won’t be joining the Ardrey Kell tennis team again next year, what is the best piece of advice that you would like to leave your fellow teammates?  

“I want to leave my fellow teammates with the advice to work as a team next year.  Tennis is all about your attitude and a positive attitude is infectious.  I want to encourage the Ardrey Kell team to lift each other up next year and go into each match with a positive outlook.”