This fall, the U of D Tennis Team has been plagued with multiple, continuous injuries that have held them back from their true potential. Reality did not deviate from this expectation for the majority of their season, as they played decent tennis, but nothing incredible to make note of. This lack of performance also, as one would expect, took a huge toll on the mental game of the players, which is something that cannot be afforded in a sport that relies so heavily on mental strength and toughness. As the regular season came to an end, the team began to focus more on regionals and the work it would require to not only advance to states, but also perform while there.
The team then made a commitment to the off-season and to each other. This commitment first paid off at regionals, where the team won 14 matches, tying for second place behind what became the second-place team in the state, Birmingham Seaholm. The year before, the U of D players had only won ten matches at regionals, which is the bare-minimum to advance to states. Already, a significant improvement could be felt, and it certainly was felt by this young team who now was willing to leave everything on the courts to make the deepest run at states possible. This is especially true for the three Seniors, Will Seymour, Andrew Hale, and Frank Salzeider, who were given one more chance to perform competitively in their high school tennis careers.
The year prior, the Jesuit Tennis Team did not advance to day two of states. Making it to day two quickly became the first of many goals for the team. It was easily accomplished. Ultimately being ranked in the top 10, was another improvement the 2023 Cub tennis team saw. This was much better than last year’s team who only was ranked 14th in the state. Even with this ranking, an argument can be made that they were under ranked, as the rankings are purely based off of total matches won. A fair number of the team was knocked out prematurely on account of bad draws, where they had to play the number one or two seed in a very early round. If it had not been for this, it wouldn’t have been too big of a reach for them to be in the top five.
Even with the rankings being less than ideal, the team performed incredibly well, and was able to exceed the expectations that may have been lingering from the beginning of the season. Team Captain and regional champion, Will Seymour, said, “I am really proud to be apart of this team and to be able to see these players grow into a really capable and deserving team. I know that the bonds, confidence, and abilities that were fostered during this season will come to fruition next season, when they will be able to execute an even more impressive season than ours this year.” Frank Salzeider, also captain of the team said, “I am proud of these guys and the grind they pulled off to make this a great senior season for me and the other seniors.” These quotes as well as the facts stated earlier, just go to show how exceptional this team’s season turned out to be, and how promising the next season is.
