Gallery • 8 Photos

Ruby Garza

Ellery Blacker hits a backhand to her to Waseca opponents

The OHS Girls Varsity Tennis team has formed an entirely new team. After losing five seniors on the varsity lineup, the team had to work even harder this season. 

The team’s hard work has been shown through their record. They are 8-4 in the conference. Head coach Mr. Curt Matejcek said, “Some matches that I thought would be toss-ups, we’ve come out on top. I think a lot of that has to do with just working hard and believing we can beat some of these teams.” After losing five seniors, four of them being doubles players, the girls had to step up and fill doubles spots. 

Even with all the new members on the team, the girls still have a strong bond. Senior captain Olivia Herzog said, “The team is so special to me because we are all close and can joke around while working hard. My favorite memory is when we stopped at O’Reilly Auto Parts after our Litchfield tournament.” Coach Matejcek has also noticed the girls’ bonds. Mr. Matejcek said, “One of the things that make this team special is just the bond between the girls this year. Everybody has risen, worked hard and most importantly got along and encouraged each other.” This is crucial to have a strong team at the varsity and JV level. 

This year the team will be graduating eight seniors total, five of which are on varsity. Next year the girls will again have to step up and fill those roles. The team has 38 girls including varsity and junior varsity, many of which are first-year players. There was lots of hard work put in to get all the girls ready for the season. From summer lessons to captains practices, the girls worked hard. Coach Matejcek said, “The effort everyone has given from varsity all the way down to our first-year players on jv, great group of girls, great attitudes and it’s been a great year to coach them.” The girls’ next match is the individual section tournament on Thursday, Oct. 14 at the Rochester Athletic Club.