Coming off a strong regular season, the boys’ tennis team hopes to continue their success into their postseason matches. They will play their first District match on May 4 against Hollidaysburg. If they advance, they would then face State College on May 6.
Head coach Jacob Colledge believes the team has performed very well in the lead up to their upcoming District matches.
“We’ve played several tough matches that will prepare us for the postseason,” Colledge said. “The guys are really enjoying themselves on the court, and everyone has played a role this year. It’s been great being able to get a lot of players into matches and see contributions from across the lineup… We were fortunate to lose only two starters last year, and this year’s team features a strong trio of sophomores at the top of the lineup who set the tone for the upperclassmen behind them.”
Sophomore Dylan Batrus and Senior Leim King-Settles both play for the boys’ tennis team. They have been focusing on improving their game in preparation for the postseason.
“[I go to] practices after school, if I can play on the weekends I usually try to practice then and do a lot of drills,” Leim said.
“Before every single match, I prepare by going through the same warm up routine, doing the same drills and always trying to allow myself to be the best version of myself I can be, no matter who I am playing,” Batrus said. “I never cared or worried who my opponent may have been. I only focused on how I played, making sure that I never let my team down.”
The players are entering Districts with the hopes of both team success and personal improvement.
“I hope that our entire team, not just me, gets better as a whole,” Batrus said. “I hope that we can better learn to work well together and play better, not just to help ourselves but also for the better of our entire team.”
“Many of the guys are extremely confident in where their games are right now, and we’re hoping that confidence carries into districts,” Colledge said.
