The girls’ tennis team’s season has come to an end. The team went 3-4 on the season and sent four players to the State Regional tournament.
Freshman Sam Sparrow and junior Faith Peoples went to compete in the singles tournament, while seniors Allyson Blake and Evie Hoffman competed as a doubles team in the tournament.
Unfortunately, nobody from Northwood made it out of the first round, but the players still look at the experience positively.
“Even though we lost early in the tournament, the experience of playing some of the best competition in the state was good for us,” Peoples said.
Many players talked about the play of Hoffman as one thing that helped the team win matches.
“Evie stepped up a lot this year; she was a good player last year, but she took her tennis game to another level this year,” sophomore Tess Terrell said.
Even though the season ended with no state finalists, the tennis team has plenty of talent moving forward. There are two freshman in particular that others are talking about: Sparrow and Claire Shepard.
Sparrow went the furthest in the conference tournament and has shown dedication throughout the season.
“Sam is a good tennis player and she works very hard,” Terrell said. “I honestly think she could be one of the best tennis players in our school’s history if she continues to put in the work.”
Another player that worked hard all season is freshman Claire Shepard. Shepard started the season as a bench player, and by the end of the season she had became the team’s number five seed.
“I was excited when I earned the spot as the fifth seed because I had worked so hard and waited for my moment,” Shepard said.
Others also noticed Shepard’s work ethic.
“Even when she knew she was not going to play in a match, she still went to practice and worked hard so she could become a better tennis player,” Terrell said.
Peoples mentioned the young talent and have another year of tennis as a team will help them get ready for next year.
“I think we will be better next year because everyone on the team has more experience as a tennis player and that will take us to another level as a team,” Peoples said.
– By Jailen Leach