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HR girls tennis looking to connect this season

HR+girls+tennis+looking+to+connect+this+season

The girls tennis teams began their season on April 26, 2021, with hopes of reaching their goals of improving despite the struggles of a shortened season. 

Tryouts for varsity began on Monday, April 26 through Tuesday, April 27, while the first match was on April 29. Paige Tyson, the only freshman who made the varsity team, has been playing for club and other schools for 3-4 years. “I feel like a player, not a freshman,” said Tyson. 

Working together as a unit to achieve a common goal is what team cohesion is all about. For Sam Kurucz, JV tennis coach and social studies teacher, the smaller number of students participating in the girls tennis teams this year will benefit that. “Our smaller size should lead us to be even more cohesive than usual. Every girl on the team knows the others,” said Kurucz. 

Allyson DuPree, sophomore on varsity, is excited to begin making new friends on the team and play the sport. “I’m looking forward to getting closer with all the other girls on the team and being able to build the program,” said Dupree. 


The first match of girls tennis was on May 2 at Douglas County High School. Photo courtesy of HRHS Girls Tennis Instagram

One goal that the JV team is striving to achieve is getting through the season with no quarantines and to be as successful as possible. To build a successful season, Kurucz expects players to come in with an open mind and do what the coaches tell them to do. “Don’t be lazy, and we will have a great season,” said Kurucz.

Laura Pulido, freshman who is on the JV team, has been playing tennis all her life and is excited to play for HR. “I am really happy about playing in matches and getting to know my fellow teammates,” said Pulido. “It’s been a bit strange because our season started later than before and is going to go into the summer.”

Due to games and practices being pushed into June, seniors are unable to fully finish their final season at HR. “I’ll really miss all the friends I’ve made and the amazing coaches we have had the past 4 years,” said Julia DePinto, senior on varsity. “COVID has made this season short and goes into summer. This is hard with senior trips and missing matches for graduation and grad parties.”

Though getting closer to others is important for teamwork, Kurucz said, “Finding the balance between being friendly and competitive is hard, but we want players to develop their skills as much as possible.”
For new players who are interested in continuing to pursue tennis in the coming years, “the best advice I can give is to have fun,” said DePinto. “I started to learn and get good at tennis once I stopped taking it so seriously and just had fun with the other girls.”


Top performers on girls varsity. Infographic by Kirstie Ko


Kirstie Ko, Staff Reporter

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HR girls tennis looking to connect this season