With the tennis season coming to a close, we look back at a good season. Although the record may not show, the team’s effort was superb. It should be noted that the team featured many newcomers to the sport. The Roses finished in eighth place in South Jersey Non-Public B which is one of the best finishes the team has ever had. The team’s key wins came over Henry Hudson and Mater Dei. Every player for the Roses was able to defeat their opponent in the match against Mater Dei, in which they swept 5-0. The Henry Hudson match, however, was a nail biter, but the Roses were able to grind out a 3-2 win. This close win showed that the team was able to perform at their highest, even when the pressure was on. Each player hit several key shots which fueled the Roses to a victory in the close one.
The team consisted of many sophomores and juniors with minimum tennis experience. These Roses were very impressive with the way they progressed throughout the season. As junior Dave Calloway said, “The year was very successful because we all left the season better than we were when we started the season.” This development of the players throughout the season has many upsides. The greatest benefit to the player development is next season. Instead of having a group of newcomers take the court, the Roses will have an abundance of experience on their side. Another key to the success of the season for the Roses was how the players were able to motivate each other to be the best player they could possibly be. Whether it was during a competition, in practice or even just a volley, the competitive edge was noticeably there. The players made sure that each individual was giving their best effort during every play. The last key piece to the success of the Roses was their head coach, Mr. Joyce. Mr. Joyce has a wide variety of knowledge about the sport of tennis and was able to fill the kids in on his tips and tricks. This benefited the team in a huge way because this knowledge they gained from their head coach helped make up for their inexperience with the game. They had an advantage because they gained knowledge in areas that other teams did not know. While other teams may have been more talented, the Roses used various tricks to confuse the opposition. In totality, the Roses gave everything they had for the sport this season. Although there were many reasons for them to give up, they only used their defeats as motivation to get better. The future is very bright for the tennis program. Congratulations to the Boys’ Tennis Team!

by Jack Mc’ Donough