As the year wraps up, spring sports start to come to a close, including Lambert Varsity Girl’s Tennis. Each season, the team works toward the state competition. They compete in countless matches between schools and have recently advanced to the sweet sixteen match. This could qualify them to go to the Elite Eight match and closer towards the state competition, but getting to this point in the tournament could not have happened without the team’s hard work throughout the year.
The team believes that the coaches, as well as their work together, is a big part of getting to where they are in the playoffs. Within the team, bonds have been made that can be shown on and off the court and the players have learned how to encourage each other to be their very best. Captain Bella Brown has been able to see this first hand.
“I think [the team] really know, especially in places such as team huddles, how to push themselves to be where they need to be,” Brown explained.
The team has had a stellar record, with them winning three state championships and making it to the Elite Eight last year. Coming into this season, the team lost many vital seniors and now has a starting doubles team consisting of two freshmen. Having such a new team means that communication and good chemistry is an important part to getting a victory.
“I feel like even when we do have bad matches, our team is still able to cheer each other on and they are always there even when it’s hard,” freshman Irene Kim stated.
Even though the team has made it to the Sweet Sixteen, this doesn’t mean the team’s hard work is finished. The team is working hard and putting in extra hours to make sure they dominate these last few games. Thriving during these games comes from not only physical work, but mental as well.
“You know, our ranking in the state is not where it was last year,” Brown explained. “So I think just getting over the mental part and really preparing my teammates that we can win this, we definitely have a shot.”
Being able to have the correct mindset during matches is something that is learned throughout years of being with the sport. Many of the seniors have achieved this due to many of them being with the program since their freshman year. They have been a vital part of the team this year, so the coaches and underclassmen are already preparing for their departure.
“Even though it is super sad that the seniors are leaving,” Irene Kim stated. “I also feel like we have so many people that are not seniors that are so qualified to be on the team.”
When the team prepped to take on the state competition, the athletes continued to prepare themselves for the challenge they had ahead. The state competition took place on April 23, 2026. Even though they were up against different stakes this year, the team dominated once again and kept the team’s fire burning on.
