Girls Tennis swept every division in the Glendale Union District Tournament on March 14 according to Coach Sarah Schlesinger.
In singles, Senior Chloe Newbern won gold and Junior Kate Dwiggins won silver; Senior Annabelle Schlesinger and Junior Finn Wallace dominated gold doubles, while Senior Sammy Hiserdot and Junior Hannah Gustafson stole the court with silver doubles.
“I think I played pretty well during the tournament because I was able to get out of my head and just play instead of overanalyzing every point,” said Newbern.
Looking back on her play, Newbern was thankful she was able to ignore her overthinking for this tournament.
Winning allowed for confidence to be the star of the game in the present and future.
“I think that winning the tournament helped me and a lot of the girls gain more confidence in our skills and motivation to keep working hard for the rest of the season! It’s easy to get burnt out, so winning the tournament was great and very exciting,” Hiserdot said.
Confidence will be key in their most crucial tournament: State.
Sunnyslope’s streak has them on track to take on whatever gets thrown at them.
“Winning sets allows the team a better chance of getting to state,” said Dwiggins.
With rigorous play comes dedication and preparation.
Coach Schlesinger left it up to the players to decide on their approach to practices.
“We just practiced as usual, and I let the girls decide if they wanted to play doubles or singles,” Schlesinger said.
Not only does repetition enhance skill mastery, but the advice given along the way is just as key to ensure success.
One of the athletes, Annabelle Schlesinger, is lucky enough to take on school tennis with her mother by her side as coach.
“Having my mom as my coach has been the most special thing for me. She always greets me at the fence and motivates me to keep fighting and playing my best, even in really tough matches,” said Annabelle.
This team has created unbreakable bonds, amplified the expertise of old and new players, and resulted in unforgettable memories.
These memories consist of post-win plans for the girls’ tennis team.
“My favorite memory so far from this season is probably going to Sauce and getting pizookies with my teammate after winning the GUHSD tourney,” Hiserdot said.
