Here at SJA, we are almost four months in, and our tennis team is already proving they are the best of the best. They are a prime example of our sports teams’ strength, full of competitive players and supportive coaches. Our 18-time Tennis State Champions hope to make it 19 this year. They are the athletic team with the most state championships, with golf coming in second place with 12 state wins. The players and the coaches make this team unstoppable. Varsity tennis player Franny Handley, a junior at SJA, has experienced this firsthand.

“My teammates have become like a second family to me; they are always ready to give me a hand when I need it,” Franny said. But, she added, “The best thing about playing tennis for me would be how supportive the coaches are and how they always lift you but criticize you when needed.”

Having talent is not enough to play at the varsity level; it’s vital to have a coach who will tell athletes what they did wrong and give some words of growth and encouragement. That’s what makes our tennis team unique: their ability to take accountability for what they did wrong, and instead of giving up, they work to improve themselves, their coach right behind them supporting them throughout the entire process. A Latin teacher at SJA, Domina Decker, saw their game-day composure.

“I’ve seen a game of theirs, and I was genuinely shocked at how fiercely competitive they were in helping build each other up but at the same time showing sportsmanship to their competitors,” Decker said.

Respect is vital in sports, and it can even determine what type of player you are. Without proper sportsmanship, our tennis players could develop too much pride, and that pride could lead to their losses. Instead, they show this respect to other players and competitors no matter what, embodying the “Not I But We” school motto. As we send our Varsity Tennis off to state, we know they will show the other teams just how amazing they are.