As the spring temperatures increase, so do the Women’s Varsity Tennis Team’s excitement to finish the 2019 season off strong.

The team is currently ranked 9th in the state and have a record of 10 wins and 5 losses.

The team has had meets every single Tuesday and Thursday since March 30. The Cougars went 8-5 overall in 2018, winning 68 matches and lost 49.

Due to the cold weather before spring break, the team had indoor training at various locations including Elmcrest Country Club.

“We’re going to practice inside for probably two weeks before our first meet. There’s conditioning after school for people who can’t make it to the practices,” Sands said.

The Women’s Varsity Tennis Team welcomes a new coach this year, social studies teacher Joe Benedict. Senior Reya Sands and junior Kelsey Jaeger are two of the four returning varsity players.

“We all know him and since he’s a teacher at Kennedy we’re all comfortable with him. It’ll be good to have a new dynamic during practice,” Sands said.  “He wants us to try out hardest and do the best we can.”

Sands and Jaeger are prepared for a more constructive level of coaching.

“It’ll be more strict, more conditioning and more actually coaching, not just helping us move along,” Jaeger said.

Sands and Jaeger are prepared for an intense training, which they hope will help them improve.

“I want to better myself as a player and a teammate, hopefully I’ll make it to state in singles or doubles and just have fun,” Jaeger said.

Sands is going to soak up every minute of her last season as a Cougar tennis athlete.

“My goal is to just do my best, to show Benedict that I care and that I’m trying. Since it’s my senior year I want to the best for myself since it’s my last year playing and I want to enjoy it,” Sands said.

With four returning varsity athletes, the team will have to find new younger athletes for the varsity team this year. The girls will also create new relationships with each other to reunite the team.

“We want to have good team bonding sessions. We don’t ever have a problem getting along but there’s not really much of a connection between all of us so we want to make that connection,” Sands said.