In hopes of repeating the events in 2009, the girls varsity tennis team is optimistic in pursuing the state title and focusing on challenging themselves, both mentally and individually.

With a record of 7-9 last year, math teacher and coach Julie Doyle hopes this season they will “make playoffs, so we can improve upon our record.”

Doyle expects the four returning seniors, including captains Tina Daigneault and Emily Wu to set good leadership skills, so others will follow their example.

“We like to lead chants on game day and bring music. It creates a fun, stress free atmosphere,” Daigneault said.

“Every match is more on you than anyone else. It’s not like other teams who rely on each other. Tennis requires individual strength as well as physical,” Wu said.

Both Daigneault and Wu believe that the upcoming team has a high chance of making it to states again.

“If we try hard enough, we could make it. We have some solid singles teams,” Daigneault said.

Although the team lost a lot of their doubles teams, Daigneault “believes they can do it.”

The team plans to practice hard to win as much as they can.

“Practice is mostly basic conditioning to keep up endurance, hitting back and forth, practice games, singles pairing with singles, and double with doubles,” Daigneault said.

Daigneault and Wu believe that the biggest obstacle in tennis is, surprisingly, themselves.

“It’s an individualistic sport,” Daigneault said.

“You have to have a lot of mental awareness, especially in singles,” Wu said.  “I like both singles and doubles, but singles is more pressure because you’re by yourself. Though, if you lose in doubles, then you feel bad for letting the other person down.”

As much as she’d like to make states, Doyle just hopes to “have a nice team, play good tennis, face some hard opponents, and have fun,” in the 2014 spring season.

Both captains really appreciate Doyle’s optimism.

“Coach is great. She encourages us to switch things up and try new stuff,” Wu said. “For that, I’m hoping to play singles this year.”