As the warm, sunny days are coming to an end, so is this season for the Girls Tennis Team. One of the previous matches was against Fairfield, and the team won 5-4. Senior night was Tuesday, October 8 against Benton, and Herrin lost 8-1. Then, the last match before sectionals was on Monday, October 14, against Carbondale at home. The team has been preparing for sectionals which will be held on October 18-19 at home. The date and place of State is TBA, as the results of sectionals will determine which individual players will get to compete at State.

Mackenzie Grist and Miranda Jordan are the only two Seniors on the team. Mackenzie joined the team her Sophomore year, and Miranda joined her Junior year. They played a doubles match together at Senior night, in Varsity’s number three doubles. They ended up losing their match after a tough fight. Between the singles matches and the doubles matches, coach Mr. Snell gave speeches about each of the girls and gave them both small bouquets of flowers. He also gave the foreign exchange students flowers. The Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors brought many treats and small gifts for the Seniors and the foreign exchange students on the team. 

When Grist was asked what she will miss the most, she answered, “I’m going to miss spending time with Hayley and Ella at practices, and going out to eat after matches.” While thinking about what she will miss the most, Jordan said, “I’m definitely going to miss all the Juniors and Mr. Snell.” Being that they are Seniors, they both had advice for their younger teammates and any future team members. Grist encouraged, “Play your best and have as much fun as you can!” Jordan expressed, “Always be on time, have fun, and don’t be too hard on yourself.” The season may be coming to an end, but for these Seniors, it’s only the beginning of their adulthood. 

The end of the season is very bittersweet for everyone, because sectionals are coming up; it is what is motivating the team to work even harder at every practice. However, all of the fun memories made this year will be terribly missed.