Gallery • 15 Photos

By Damara Stevens

With her eyes on the ball, senior Sophie Lecuru steps forward with her racket to hit the ball at tennis regionals Saturday, Oct. 10. The girls tennis team placed third overall and Lecuru is advancing to play at state.

The girls tennis team hosted the tennis regionals tournament Saturday, Oct. 10. The team finished third overall and senior Sophie Lecuru finished second, qualifying for state. The doubles team of senior Avery Rutkowski and junior Eden Schanker and the team of senior Isabella Loya and junior Olivia Lecuru won their first match but lost their second, missing the chance to qualify for state. Junior Kiersten Dupriest lost her first match.

Sophie Lecuru won her first two matches but lost her third. She placed second and feels very proud of how she played, taking the other teams’ skill levels into consideration.

“I knew I would have a couple hard matches today and competed in them to the best of my ability, which is all I can expect from myself,” Sophie Lecuru said.

The main challenge Sophie Lecuru faced was competing with a close friend for the championship.

“In the championship match I played one of my best friends, which is always hard,” Sophie Lecuru said. “I was disappointed it didn’t go my way, but the score was about as close as it can get and she’s a great player.”

According to Rutkowski, they had to change up the way they played because of the challenge the other teams brought.

“The teams we had to play caused some challenges because we had to come up with tactics and formations to help us get points,” Rutkowski said.

Since the regionals tournament was hosted at home, Rutkowski was able to enjoy finishing out her high school tennis career in the same place it started. Rutkowski also believes the location did not affect how the team played.

“Hosting regionals just made it feel more like home and being able to play our last matches at our home was nice,” Rutkowski said. “It didn’t really affect our performance much because we play to win no matter where we are.”

Looking forward, Sophie Lecuru is going to be spending a lot of time getting ready for competing at state and is confident that her coaches will prepare her.

“This next week will be all about preparation for the state championship tournament,” Sophie Lecuru said. “I know the coaches will do everything they can to ensure I’m ready for the tournament.”

The state championship tournament will take place Friday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 17 at College Boulevard Activity Center.