The girls’ tennis team can be considered one of the least recognized sports at Glenbard East. But senior Kaitlin Murphy and her doubles partner, senior Ella Book are varsity doubles players in girls’ tennis, offering some of the best games at East.
With past ups and downs in various matches, the team really wanted to beat Fenton. The game started with the players being assigned to courts, meeting their opponents, and preparing for the match. When they started warming up, it was clear to see that East would win.
Murphy’s serves were too much for Fenton to contain, and when the opponent was capable of hitting the serve back, Book was ready at the net blocking every shot and returning it to just the right spots on the court. Together, both players had the perfect combination of offensive and defensive plays. Murphy was capable of returning the ball to the other side, and when it got hit back, Book left no recovery time for the opposing team before hitting an overhead shot and winning the point.
Although most points seemed simple and easy to win, some proved to be stressful for both those watching as well as the players. Book serving meant that Murphy had to be upfront, which is one of the most stressful places when it comes to reacting. Although Murphy hit many powerful overheads, some were unable to pass the net and ended up costing the team a point. By the end of the first set, the score was 6-2.
Ben Polyak, a player in the boys varsity tennis team, pulled up to support the team. Polyak thought that the team so far has done a fantastic job at attacking the opponent’s weaknesses.
The second set started with Murphy getting a double fault by missing a serve twice which happened two times in the second set. While Murphy was serving, Book didn’t fail to disappoint any spectator by hitting more amazing overheads that eventually won them points. The game was played a little differently in the second half, as the opposing team started to not move as much. This allowed Murphy and Book to capitalize and win the second set 6-2.
Many other spectators came to see the first doubles team win the game. They included senior Claire Flanagan, a varsity singles player who prefers doubles, and Helen Jones, also a varsity player, who thinks singles is better than doubles. Flanagan and Jones, along with Polyak, represented a third of the spectators at the game.
The players on other courts were also winning games and improving. This year, there are five new players on the varsity tennis team. Bill Burt, who is one of the most experienced coaches in the school, believes that “improvement is based on practicing well and striving for consistency.” Burt is preparing the team for the most important part of tennis, the end of the season, when all the improvement is shown.
