As the blazing sun begins to set over a small, grassy hill, a neon green dot whizzes through the air. Back and forth it flies, forcibly causing the engaged onlookers seated in their lawn chairs to snap their necks left and right. The dot suddenly stops its rainbow-arch motion through the air and falls defeatedly to the ground. Those lounging in the chairs suddenly stand and begin to holler and clap for the impressive play made by varsity girls tennis senior, Trinity Nguyen.
On Thursday, Sept. 19, the Huntley varsity girls tennis team competed against Hampshire High School in a series of doubles and singles matches. The game took place on Huntley’s tennis courts underneath a clear blue sky dotted with wispy clouds. From 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., many Huntley players took home wins, excitedly celebrating with their teammates and high-fiving Coach Wells after the successful match.
“We’ve won against all the teams we’ve played and we even won during our first conference,” senior Carlie Weishaar said. “We’ve been killing it, and I’m so proud of this team and the effort we’ve been putting in.”
Throughout the hour-long match, Huntley’s encouragement and camaraderie were consistant. After every point and game, the players on the sidelines would shout words of motivation to those on the court. After a set would end and the match was complete, the girls would clap rackets to congratulate their opponent and run over to the hill to pick up a celebratory Halloween candy treat from a purple jack-o’-lantern bucket being passed around.
“Our team is super tight-knit, and we love to do bonding activities to keep morale high,” junior Giuli Farraj said. “Before our first conference, we got together to make hair ribbons. It’s so much fun to be on the court together, but they’re all just as fun outside of it too.”
To practice for this meet, the girls continued to put in hard work and effort, as well as brush up on their skills.
“We usually do up and down the river drills when we want to compete against each other, but otherwise we focus on something specific each week,” senior Shea Nagle said. “Coach caters the drills he gives us to focus on those skills. Sometimes it’s different formations, double-back strategies, or something more specific like backhand hits.”
The girls have high hopes for the rest of their season, and if their performance continues down this path, the potential for a spot in a state championship may be in their future. Their next meet is against Crystal Lake South High School on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 4:30 p.m.
