As the spring tennis season comes to a close, senior Evalina Steadman discusses what the team is doing to prepare for the tournament and reflects on her own tennis journey ahead of graduation. 

“I started playing tennis when I was five, but I started taking it seriously when I was in middle school.” Steadman said,

For Steadman, she says that the social aspect of tennis is what kept her coming back year after year. Tennis can be a social sport – with lots of different opportunities for playing doubles and practicing matches with your teammates. 

“I enjoy the social aspect of playing tennis, especially when I play doubles,” Steadman said,

The tennis season begins in the fall, with tournaments against local schools, and ends in the spring with rounds of district, regional, and state competition. Steadman discusses her favorite memory from the season. 

“My favorite part of the season has probably been the overnight trip,” Steadman said. “I also like getting to play doubles with different people. I haven’t had a consistent doubles partner all year, so I’ve gotten to have multiple partners, which has been nice.”

Steadman plays both singles and doubles for the team. On April 30, 2025 tennis will play in their district tournament, a competition they have been preparing for all winter semester. 

“I think everyone’s really excited,” Steadman said. “We’ve been training and working really hard, so it should be fun.”

As one of the captains of the team, Steadman describes how the team has been preparing for their final rounds of competition. 

“A lot of us play outside of school and we have practice every day after school,” Steadman said.“We do drills and play different matches.”

Despite the enjoyment from tennis, Steadman states that mindset and mentality is the toughest part of the sport for her. 

“I would say the hardest part of tennis is the mental side,” Steadman said. “When you play doubles you’re worried about letting your partner down and if you’re playing singles it can be frustrating if you’re not having a good tennis day and hitting well.”