New Kids on the Block

The common cliche among American citizens is the youth is the future of this country. For the MN girls tennis squad, not only is youth the future, but it has also become the present state of the team.

After entering the 2015 season with high expectations, and hopes of a state title in the works, the girls team snagged a slightly-disappointing fourth place at the state matches, with seniors Libby Koukol and Christina Ternent claiming the crown as the top doubles team in Nebraska.

However, with those two seniors as well as a few others departing for college, there were some much-need holes to fill. Lacking a senior class heading into the 2016 slate, the team is looking towards some reliance on freshman and sophomores in a youth movement.

Freshman Josie Friedman will be filling the role as the number one singles player on the team. In her first year at MN, Friedman is being thrown straight into the fire, but has garnered three consecutive wins to start the season.
“I’m kind of nervous because I don’t know what to expect, but I think it’s really exciting. I know I can get so much better and there’s not much pressure since I am a freshman,” Friedman said.

As the number one singles, Friedman will frequently face some of the best players Nebraska has to offer. She will be paired up with the top singles player from each of the other high schools.

“I think I’ll do well, but I know there will be a lot of competition. I just want to improve, gain more experience and have fun doing it,” Friedman said.

The strong play of Friedman in the preseason has the coaching staff excited at the potential for this team. The team has complete confidence in their new number one singles player.

“I think Josie is a very young talented player, and she will play matches tough and give the older number one players a run for their money. It’s always nice to have a young player come in and play number one singles for you, as she will just improve that much more and gain much more experience at that position this year,” head coach Josh Raymond said.

Another contributing factor to this inexperienced team is a complete lack of a senior class, as well as losing one of the starting varsity juniors for the season. With zero returning, the team will have to look more towards the junior class as leaders.

“I think we lost a lot of really good players last year. But since all of the seniors left, three juniors have really been taking charge to be the examples,” junior Kashish Singh said.

With more of a young-talent type of team moving forward, the MN girls tennis squad has all the makings of future state contenders down the line. As the team gains more experience and veteran leadership each match, there’s no telling how strong they can become.

“I think that every girl will give their very best in every match they play this year. If they do that and trust in themselves, they will all play very well,” Raymond said.