By: Riley Haltom
Chester County High School Tennis is primed for an amazing season. Every year, under the direction of Coaches Mike Showers and Debbie Hanes, the expectation for this team is greatness. The culture of Chester County Tennis is winning. Coach Showers has very high hopes for this team.
“The tennis team has really come together this year after their season getting cancelled last year. Although we knew going into it we had great senior leadership this year, we did not know exactly what to expect since no one on the team had ever played in a seeded tennis match before. However, they have done great. Senior’s Rilee Kat Vest, Addison Summars, Madelyn Wilson, Molly Connor and Colby King, along with Juniors, Evan Eads and Carter Welch plus some inspiring play from freshmen Clayton Austin and Cecily Davis and sophomores Emma Grace Miller and Ethan Mullins have catapulted us to first in the district and undefeated for both boy’s and girl’s teams. They have done a great job staying focused on their next match ahead and not looking too far forward. We have tough matches coming up with Lexington and Hardin County that are must win to stay in our position and achieve our preseason goals of being District Champions for both teams. I believe these teams have the mindset to accomplish their goals.”
Junior player Carter Welch set his expectations for the year.
“The boys team is 5-0. We have a strong singles group and doubles teams. We’re hoping to finish off the season undefeated and go far into the regional tournament. One way we prepare is by going out the day before and working on our game for about an hour and a half to two hours and then going out before the match and getting our ground strokes consistent and warmed up. Coach Showers always tells us how to win and gets us ready, making sure we believe in ourselves and to play to our potential to come out on top.”
This tennis team is exceptional. Seeing them play was a new experience for me, as I had never watched tennis before. But this team, not only made me a fan, but I have attended several home games already. The next home game is April 19 against Liberty. The rest of the schedule can be found on the Chester County Athletics website. I urge each of you to come out and watch a game, as this team is very good at what they do.
