Senior varsity tennis player Grace R. ‘25 takes a deep breath as she steps onto the court. It’s match point, and if they lose this game, they drop from the semifinals. Despite this, her fears are drowned out by the encouraging cheers of her teammates, who motivate and push her to play at her best and eventually win the match. After tough and intense matches, the Campbell Hall girls’ varsity tennis team took the win in division two of the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section.
Team chemistry, bonding, and commitment
Grace has been on the team since her freshman year and feels that the team was so much more bonded this year compared to last year. Grace acknowledges that the team’s connection plays a huge part in such an individual sport because of how mental the sport is, and finds that having these relationships are very special and extremely important to the team’s success because of how intense it can get. As each round in the playoffs gets more intense, she saw that the team got closer together and was really excited which was a huge motivation for the team to win the whole tournament.
“While tennis is sort of an individual sport, it gets really exciting and way more fun when you have your teammates cheering you on,” Grace said. “This year, we were even more bonded than last year and we all had the idea of one common goal, which was to win. Especially after we got pretty far in the playoffs, I think we all realized how big of a chance we had to win the whole thing.”
Like Grace, Audyssie J. ‘27 loved that the team felt so close this year. She realized that everyone was so much more bonded because of how much the girls would see each other at school and out of school. Simple team trips to get food and practices filled with laughs are what made this season truly unforgettable for Audyssie.
“I support the team by showing up to practice every day and showing my commitment because I want to be there for everybody,” Audyssie said. “If I see anybody on my team at school, I make sure I say hi and it just helps us get closer together as a team so there’s not that many awkward moments. We feel more comfortable around each other, and we really come together in important moments which really helps everybody mentally and physically.”
Like Audyssie, doubles player Riley P. ‘27 understands that the key to a successful team is chemistry. Riley feels that, despite their rocky start with losing important matches at the beginning of the season and not feeling as bonded, the newly formed connections between teammates is what propelled them forwards toward the championships. She understands the importance of cheering on fellow teammates and maintaining morale during games, two factors that strengthened the bond of every member of the team.
“Tennis is 100 percent team chemistry,” Riley said. “In the beginning of the year, we weren’t really a team, and we weren’t really playing well together. [The first time we] played Brentwood we won, but the second time we lost because we weren’t really a team. But by the time the finals rolled around, [and] we finally won against Brentwood because of [how much we] had connected. I love every single girl on that team. Over the [four] months that we were playing together, they became my family.”
Importance of supporting one another in the face of adversity and loss
Girls’ varsity tennis captain Samantha H. ‘25 wants to make sure that everyone feels comfortable, even with the pressure of what being on the tennis team means. As a senior, Samantha believes that maintaining a more calm approach to making sure the girls feel supported instead of overreacting is very necessary. With the pressure on, she wants everyone to know that no blame is on them, and that feeling uplifted is more important than winning.
“Tennis is such a high-pressure sport because of how good the girls were in the past, so for those who are younger and have less experience playing tennis at Campbell hall, it’s good to remind them that this doesn’t define them,” Samantha said. “No one’s going to be upset if you lose, and that’s really important to stress.”
Importance of never giving up and giving it your all
Although Steve Kuechel, Campbell Hall’s tennis coach for the past 41 years, also believes in the importance of teamwork, he also recognizes the power in perseverance and giving it your all. While Kuechel has witnessed many championship teams during his career, he believes that this years’ varsity girls’ tennis team has been one of the most successful. He attributes their first victory in six years to their resilience and support of one another, emphasizing the dedicated leadership skills from team captains and strong friendships that will continue to thrive in future years both on and off the court.
“[One significant lesson our team learned this year] is to never give up,” Kuechel said. “We could’ve lost every single [game] in the playoffs, but we won every match. I’ve been fortunate enough to [see] quite a few championships, but I think this was the sweetest because we’ve improved more than any teams I’ve ever had. I think we were a team of destiny this year.”
