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by Cael Howard
The NS tennis team has won a few games and lost a few so far this season. Currently at 5-4, the team still has a lot of regional games and time to improve. NS recently won their match against Maeser Prep on April 21. Top singles player Kasen Ericksen’s score for both of his sets was 6-0.
“We’re good–we’re doing well,” said assistant coach Jeff Ericksen.
First singles, Strait’s win to loss ratio is 6-3. Second singles Kason Ericksen’s score is 6-3. Third singles Spencer Olson has 2-7. First doubles Jake and Josh Cox’s score is 6-2. Second doubles Davin Anderson and Kaysen Smith are seated at 6-3. The varsity boys have stayed the same this whole season. No JV players have moved up to varsity.
The tennis team has grown dramatically in size this year. With this growth, there are players from previous years and a lot of new inexperienced players.
Luckily with the growth of players, assistant coaches Jeff Ericksen and Ben Cox have joined to help out.
“One of our strengths is our coaching staff; we have three good guys,” Erickson said.
Boys tennis has grown in popularity at NS this year. The team has 29 players now.
“We have a really big tennis team,” said sophomore George Swapp.
With that growth, there are a lot of advantages but there also some disadvantages. For example, head coach Matt Braithwaite isn’t able to teach as many of the players one-on-one. That’s why they are fortunate to have assistant coaches to help with the larger number of players.
An advantage is that the team has a plethora of different styles and good things they can copy from other teammates. Having three different coaches is an advantage also. The players can get three different perspectives on what they can practice on and what they’re doing really well at.
The tennis players have a wide range of experience. From senior Davin Anderson having played tennis eleven years to some new freshman players having never played competitively before. Each player starts the tennis season and leaves with an improved set of skills.
This is the fourth season for seniors Olson, Anderson, and Strait; they’ve gained a lot of experience over that time. Strait, Ericksen, and Olson are the top three singles. Jake and Josh Cox, and Anderson and Kaysen Smith are the top two doubles teams for varsity.
“It’s exciting to see the new kids come in and watch them go from not being able to hit the ball back over the net to being able to hit a ball right where they want it,” Strait said.
The team’s leadership is in good hands, between the coaches and four team captains. Anderson, Strait, Olson, and Ericksen as team captains come to all the practices and get the pre-practice stretches going. They try to lead by example and do all that they can to help out teammates. When teammates hit a good shot in a match and win, they congratulate and compliment them on it. Even if teammates don’t do well, the captains will give encouragement and help them work on their strokes so they can win next time.
“I try to give people advice on how to better their game,” Strait said, “but I feel like just being really supportive of every victory that your team has is a huge thing.”
Tennis is in full swing and the players are excited to be able to play. It’s heading toward a great season with new players and new coaches. They really love the sport and have a lot of fun. The whole team is good natured and likes to work hard but have a good laugh.
“Winning. I like winning,” Anderson said.
