The junior varsity tennis team has just started their tournaments. With this 2019 school year ending and 2020 year approaching, the team has gradually increased in number since last year.

“Our team is so much larger this year!” head coach Bradley Crawford said. “We have eight JV boys and 22 JV girls! We have eight boys and eight girls on our varsity. That’s a total of 46 on our high school team. Combine that with 78 on our middle school team, and the future is bright for Cardinal Tennis!”

With so many more Cardinals playing on the tennis team, it has shown how much effort they put in and how serious they take it as a sport.

“In terms of preparation we have worked super hard this year,” Coach Crawford added. “Most of our players started the last week of July. I love how hard our team works!”

On October 31, the JV team played at Denton Braswell High School against several different schools. Although the JV team played hard, the team was faced up against a very cold morning. From the time the team started at about 8:30 a.m., it was 28 degrees, and by the end of the day it was 52 degrees. One of the girls’ doubles teams finished in third place, and one of the boys’ doubles teams earned a consolation prize.

Again on November 6, the team was scheduled to play at Denton Ryan High School. Due to a rainy morning, the team had to pack up and leave earlier than expected. Although they didn’t get to play, the team decided to keep a positive Cardinal attitude and keep their spirits up. The team decided to get off the bus and play a game of tennis in the rain. Soon after, there were several different schools playing the same game with their own teams.

“Even though I didn’t get to play because of the rain, I had a great time because it made me feel like a big part of the team and made me feel closer to my teammates,” freshman Rachael Tierney said. “I got to see the sportsmanship that each of us had and made me feel very proud of not only myself but everyone else.”

Overall the team has played well in all matches and tournaments and they only hope for more wins.