The girls tennis team is optimistic for their upcoming season, beginning with Pendleton tomorrow.

Junior Kira Smith, doubles player, said the match has the potential to bring home a win.

“Pendleton isn’t in our conference, so I don’t know that much about their team. From what I have heard from my other teammates and the coaches, I feel positive about our abilities towards winning against them as long as we all stay positive and persevere throughout the match,” Smith said.

With her experience playing against them, senior Moriah Ellington, No. 1 Doubles, agreed.

“We had a ‘Green Weekend’ where Greenwood, Tritan, and Pendleton played each other, so I remember playing against them a little bit. I feel they have a decent team and are pretty well-matched to our skills,” Ellington said.

In order to prepare for the season, sophomore Addie Cotroneo, doubles player, has been attending preseason workouts.

“During preseason workouts, we’ve been focused on consistency with our forehand and backhand, and we practice our serves with serving lines. We also play games with our doubles partners to work on communication, where to place the ball, and stamina,” Cotroneo said.

To improve, Smith has spent time training with coaches.

“Over preseason, I’ve focused on my serving and perfecting my technique through getting constructive criticism from my coaches. Another thing that has helped is conditioning on my own with running around my neighborhood whenever I have free time,” Smith said.

Ellington’s positive outlook has carried her through training.

“I’m really into doubles, so something I’ve been working on to get better with my partner is to stay in a team mindset and not focus on my mistakes. During workouts, if I miss a point, I just remind myself that I need to work on how I can improve instead of complaining or dwelling on that loss,” Ellington said.

Smith has also found ways to achieve more leading into the season.

“Since last season, I have gotten to understand the strategy behind tennis better, and I also have physically worked on playing more intensely,” Smith said.

In order to see improvements this season, Cotroneo has made personal goals.

“My biggest goal for the season is to be more consistent on where I place the ball, which I can accomplish through repetition in reps. I also want to get more aggressive while serving because that is something I struggled with last season,” Cotroneo said.

Ellington also has goals for her last season with the team.

“My main goal for the season is to bond with my team because sometimes with varsity and jv having separate practice times and being around each other less, we don’t know each other that well. I want us to have a good team dynamic this year because it helps us stay motivated,” Ellington said.

The match against Pendleton High school will begin at 9 am tomorrow at GHS.