The FC girls tennis team has two goals this year: winning and having fun. Winning is a big goal of sports, but having fun creates the memories that you remember.

“My favorite memory of playing tennis was last year during our away tournament. We stayed the night at a hotel, and I snuck out with two of the seniors and we went to Texas Roadhouse,” said senior Addison Mitchell.

The girls are focused on having fun and not stressing over every point.

“My personal goal for the year is just to have fun and do my best each match, not focus on always winning,” said sophomore Hope Anderson.

Another important aspect of sports besides winning is coming together as a team. Tennis has allowed these girls to meet and become friends with people they really enjoy.

“I’ve met some of my best friends playing tennis. Sophomore year, the seniors were some of my best friends,” said senior Katlyn Stump.

Some of the girls even got into tennis because of their friends, which helped them find the sport they love and meet more people.

“In fifth or sixth grade, one of my friends asked me if I wanted to play. She was on the team so I started playing and have kept playing ever since,” said Stump.

Tennis was also a way some of the girls could meet new people and try new things.

“I moved from Scribner to Highland Hills in fifth grade and I was just trying a bunch of new things. I really enjoyed tennis when I started playing and became friends with some of the girls,” said freshmen Zoey Doyle.

Tennis requires a lot of time practicing outside of with the team. The girls do their own lessons and matches to continue playing and getting better.

“I get ready for the season by playing a bunch of tournaments and practicing a lot. I get lessons at least once a week and I have team practices that aren’t through the school team in Louisville once a week,” said Mitchell.

The team also comes together before the season starts to condition.

“We do preseason practices and conditioning, and I use that time to get my mindset right for the start of the season,” said Stump.

The team is focused on getting better in their match to make the team better.

“My goal for the team is to get better at doubles with my partner and win as many matches as we can,” said junior Sophi Gostel.

This year, the team consists of a lot of freshmen. It is a young team with only three seniors and one junior. This team dynamic has shaped goals for the team.

“My goal for the team this year is talking, because we have a lot of freshmen that don’t talk at all and we’re a very quiet team,” said Mitchell.

The girls had their first match on Saturday April 4th against Evansville Christian and won. Their next home match is Thursday April 30th at Floyd Central.