The Lady Tigers tennis team just wrapped up its best season ever. The varsity team won its first district title. The doubles team of Courtney Jenkins and Jordan Jones advanced to sectionals, and Samantha Minor qualified for the state tournament in singles. Meagan McCord, Danielle Hopkins, and Hayley Walser also contributed to the varsity successes.
Coach Eric Hanson said one thing that stands out is the players’ work ethic.
“I think what you saw in the team is a real desire to get better at every level,” Hanson said. “They were willing to buy into the program of, ‘If I work harder, good things happen.’”
And Hanson says this is the most depth he’s ever seen the program, at every level.
“The varsity is fairly well-chronicled,” Hanson said. “Our JV went down and they took two firsts, a second, and a fourth at the JV tournament, and there were 16 teams there. And it goes with the idea that they’re just willing to work hard, and to get better.
“We’ve come close the last couple years,” Hanson said. “What we finally saw now was, all the stars were lined up to go that one step further and win a district championship. And they went out there, and they just simply won it.”
The team’s success was unprecedented this season. But Hanson said individual wins along the way–both this year and last year–help build a stronger program over time.
“Obviously success builds on itself. A successful program is just that — a program. What Samantha Minor and Courtney Jenkins, who won the district championship last year, illustrate is that if you put in your time, and you work hard, and you work at perfecting those skills that will take you there, there’s the end result.
“I think it’s really important because what it shows them is that if you have a goal in mind, and you’re willing to put the time in, to go get it, then you get that reward. For the young players, it helps because they can come out here and be part of a strong program.”
For the 2011 Lady Tigers, the improvement over time was a direct result of being surrounded by a strong team.
“I think one of the special things about this program is that these girls made each other better on a daily basis,” Hanson said. “And so it’s kind of a self-fulfilling thing, because you come out and you get better, just because of the people you’re around.”
