Tennis squad courts future success by overcoming challenges of the present

The girls tennis team has sliced their way through the 2024 season. Although the team did not achieve all of its desired outcomes, the Wildcats secured four victories in conference matches, ultimately finishing fifth in the overall standings. Head Coach Nikki Bouzek is proud of the final placement.

“Varsity finished fifth in the conference, which is only one spot below our finish last year,” she said. “I would say it is a positive, as we lost six seniors last year who were at our top flights and had a lot of experience on varsity. We had a lot of newer players who were able to hold their own in the FVA.  JV took fourth place at the JV conference this year, which is around where we normally place."

Senior varsity singles player Allison Augustine enjoyed the level of competition as the number one singles player.

“My season went well and I was able to play competitively at number 1 singles, winning a lot of close matches,” she said.

Junior varsity singles player Maddalyn Meartz believes strong team chemistry characterizes the team.

“My favorite thing about this season was the camaraderie of the team and the new connections I made through the team,” she said. “I really enjoyed spending time with them and being able to not only learn from them but grow as well. I enjoyed how we were as a team and how, even with our losses, we were able to still have fun and find ways to improve.”

The varsity and junior varsity seasons both had many victories, defeats, and numerous opportunities for growth. Junior JV doubles player Kerrigan Kimball saw team bonding and overall team support within matches as contributing to strengthening the team's unity.

“My favorite thing about the season were the invites,” she said. “I think that those of us who went to the invites and conferences grew to be a lot closer because of it. It was a lot of fun because we were all supportive of each other, and our bus rides were so fun. I think I really just liked the team chemistry this year.”

Augustine agrees.

"My favorite part of the season was team bonding and having team dinners,” she said. “The Brookfield Invite was one of the highlights of my season because we stayed overnight, so we had a lot of bonding as a team and we all grew closer. I loved the team atmosphere this season. Before every match, we all did our team cheer and brought energy out on the court, which helped motivate all of us to do our best."

Team members owe their exceptional team chemistry this year not only to players, but also to the coaches for their positive and enthusiastic support. Kimball notes that the new girls’ tennis coach, Jacob Beno, has been a valuable addition to the team. 

"When we learned that our new assistant coach had no prior tennis experience, we were not too sure about what he was going to bring to the team,” she said. “However, it became clear on the first day of practice that his positive mindset, coaching abilities, and motivational quotes would greatly benefit us throughout the season.” 

Having a good coaching staff contributed positively during a tough season, though challenges were still present. Meartz had her own personal struggles and saw many other players face similar challenges. 

“I think our biggest challenge was knowing our abilities and using them to the fullest,” she said. “We lost against Appleton West mainly because instead of playing at our same level we played down to theirs. However, as the season went on we were able to work on this issue and I feel that we did improve on this.”

Bouzek acknowledges that her team faced challenges throughout the season.

“Varsity started off the year with some very difficult invites,” she said “They held their own in most matches, even if they were losses.” 

Despite dealing with these bumps in the road, the team was able to adapt from these hardships, as noted by the coaching staff.

“We took what we learned from these matches to the rest of the matches during our season, improving immensely throughout the season, being able to take fifth in the conference,” Bouzek said.

This wasn't just a struggle for the varsity team but also the experienced JV players. 

“Some of my struggles were mental struggles,” Kimball said. “Once we got down and were losing, it was hard to come back because we already had the mindset that we were going to lose. It was really hard to overcome this struggle, but we pushed through and had a lot of comebacks during the season.”

Even though the girls didn't have a perfect record, they still stuck together as a team. Meartz values her experiences.

“The bond of the team was strong and even through our losses we stayed positive and encouraged each other throughout the season,” she said. “I feel like overall we worked well as a team and tried to have fun and stay in high spirits.” 

Kimball saw the season the same way. 

“Our season went well, even though it was a little rocky, but I think we pulled through to have a good season,” she said. “It was very fun and rewarding to see everyone on the team improve an astonishing amount, and it was just really fun in general.”

by Leah Moen

Published November 4th, 2024

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue II