Varsity:
The boys tennis program at OHS has shown great skill and potential thus far into their 2024 season. With many matches still ahead at the time this is written, the team will have a chance to prove their talent and influence among other teams in the region.
Tennis athletes at OHS tightened up their schedule in the second half of their season.
“The beginning of our season is a little lighter on the schedule, but now we have four game weeks almost the rest of the time,” said Lance Gephart, varsity tennis coach.
Having the common goal of making it to playoffs has motivated the athletes to continue working overtime during practice to get results.
“They definitely have put in the time and the work. [I] just hope it shows up on the court; that’s the hardest thing,” Gephart said.
OHS and the tennis program as a whole provides its players with resources to excel at the sport.
“Having a power training class, hitting more, and having more time my senior year to be able to do those things [has helped me succeed],” said Sean Alley, senior.
One of OHS’s very own foreign exchange students, Diego Arrivillaga, has come here from South America where he had been playing tennis for five years. Tennis in the United States compared to tennis in Chile is played on very different scales.
“We have three courts in the whole town, and we have eight at [O’Connor]. We have clay courts and you have hard courts,” said Diego Arrivillaga, senior.
With players joining the team, it is important to build chemistry and bonds that will help the player’s performance in matches.
“We are able to have good chemistry and feel confident in playing with one another,” Alley said.
This group of athletes in particular have built sustainable relationships that do not go unrecognized.
“[The] culture of our team is probably the one of best I have seen in a long time,” Gephart said.
Some of students’ most lasting friendships can come from sports. Tennis has cultivated an environment that encourages athletes to collaborate and interact even off of the court.
“My best friend that I met here in the US was because of tennis,” Arrivillaga said.
JV:
The JV tennis team has shown much improvement and dedication. And with the addition of new players and coaches they will continue to get better.
“We have improved our tennis program. We got a new tennis coach and he has [helped] build the team culture,” said Jayneal Patel, junior.
The morale of the team is an important factor in their winning mentality. Players recognize they cannot dwell on their past performances, but instead just look to improve.
“When we lose we’re not that sad, because we can win the next game,” Patel said.
The JV team is constantly striving for success and is looking forward to winning more matches this season.
“We’ve had so many close matches that we could be almost undefeated right now,” Gephart said.
The team is constantly looking for ways to improve and step-up their game to ensure the remainder of their season is a success.
“We just focus on some of the things I see in the matches we need to work on and then address those issues,” Gephart said.
Team camaraderie is a major aspect of tennis. Luckily for the OHS JV Boys Tennis Team, players are not lacking in their relationships with one another.
“‘We are all connected well,” Patel said.
