Girls tennis recently played against multiple rivals at the tournament they hosted at the school on Saturday, September 1st. They played against teams Howell North, Parkway North, Liberty, Saint Dominic, Zumwalt South, Timberland, and Howell. Many of these teams have put up a good fight in the past, so the girls’ tennis team went into the tournament ready to bring their all. Though multiple games were won, the title ultimately went to Howell. Despite not getting the title, the girls still felt good about how they had performed.  Central felt more confident in this tournament especially in their games against Liberty which showed in how the rankings played out. Hard to beat rival Liberty came in third after the Central team. Captain and senior Jordan Merli attributed her confidence to playing on home court.

“The atmosphere is different when you’re home. We didn’t have to pack up all of our stuff and go somewhere else, and we got out of school for a lot longer. We were just [here] practicing and warming up. We were more relaxed and more comfortable because we were at home,” Merli said.

The girls not only attribute their high placement to confidence, but the bond they share. Whether with a partner during doubles or as a whole team, they highly value a team-wide friendship. Junior Cloie Boyd believes this is why they play so well.

The team also puts in rigorous hours of training, whether by themselves or with everyone able to play. Junior Mackenzie Jones believes she did so well because of the practice she put in.

“I just prepare through practices, and the other matches that we’ve played so far,” Jones said. “Everyone did really good. We all got medals so that was pretty cool.”

Varsity or JV, they all plan to work hard to continue their winning streak, and place higher. Since the hosted doubles tournament, tennis has won five games and only lost two. Their next game is the Gateway Athletic Conference Tournament, from September 24th and 25th. Districts follow soon, beginning in October.