On Thursday, April 25, the varsity boys tennis team lost in a close match against the Stevenson Patriots. The loss ended an undefeated season for Libertyville. While the match was daunting, Libertyville entered the match with a positive mindset.
“You always gotta go confident into the match when you think you can beat someone,” Senior Jacob Bahrani said. “If you don’t, then it’s just not gonna go your way, and all [of] that hard work and practice that you’ve done won’t pay off.”
Freshman Chase Pierce, who plays 1 singles, started the match strong by winning the first set 7-5, but lost his other two sets 1-6, 2-6. Junior co-captain Jack Gerber and sophomore Chethan Nickerson, who play 1 doubles, lost the first set 3-6 but brought it back in the second set by winning 6-4, and then lost the third set 4-6.
The Cats played aggressively throughout the entire match.
“I think we played some of the best tennis I’ve seen,” Gerber said. ”We really met the competition.”
While the Cats have made several improvements to their skills during their season, there have also been major improvements in the team’s bonding. According to junior Carson Leighton, teamwork is one of the team’s core values.
“When we lose it’s not one person’s losing, it’s the whole team’s loss,” Leighton said. “If somebody loses, we try and pick them back up.”
While the Cat’s first loss of the season was tough, the team is left with new ways to improve for next season.
“We all gotta practice together in the offseason,” Gerber said. “Maybe hit the weight room a little more, but other than that I think we’re doing okay.”
The team acquired two new freshmen this year: Chase Pierce (1 singles) and Michael Barhoum (3 doubles).
“[Playing at the high school level is] a lot more serious, but I feel like I’m adapting pretty well,” Barhoum said. “My first few matches were kind of rough. I was nervous. But I’m getting more confident as I play more matches.”
Although their season will soon come to an end, the future for the boys tennis team looks bright.
“You know, we have a lot of juniors,” Barhoum said, “and I think we’ll do even better next year.”
