Sports Brief: Tennis has two undefeated

The Bartlett tennis team is having a winning streak this season, but only two players have perfect records thus far: senior Kristin Groninger and sophomore Jimmy Walker.

“Kristin has been playing since she was, like, eight,” sophomore Anne Albert said. “She’s really good.”

Groninger and Walker, along with the rest of the tennis team, will progress to the district tournament in early May at Rhodes College. Team competitions will take place May 5-6, and individual matches will take place May 7-10.

Volleyball girls finish season

The volleyball season recently came to a close when the team progressed through districts and participated in the regional tournament. With a final record of 27-14, the team attended regionals as district runner-up, where they played Brighton and lost, ending their season.

Despite the disappointment of their loss, the team played their season not only to win, but also for the enjoyment of the game.

“Its pressure, but it’s one of those things you enjoy, and it’s a one-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” senior Melanie Horne said. “You have to act a certain way and maintain a leadership role, not only for the team, but also for the coach.”

The seniors took the lead in the season, as the underclassmen look up to the seniors as an example not only in school, but also on the sports teams.

“When the seniors do their jobs, the underclassmen do their jobs,” head coach Sherrie Walker said.

Because of their team work, in the district matches the Bartlett volleyball team played Raleigh Egypt High School and Bolton High School and won both with a score of 3-0. Their streak ended when they lost to Arlington 3-2. Then, they went to regional and lost to Brighton High School 3-0.

“Overall they were disappointed [regionals] because they did so well last week,” Walker said, “but, realistically they knew they didn’t play their best and have been better at times.”

Through the wins and losses, the team had a lot of parental support this season.  However, student supporters showed up more at the beginning of the season, and slowly began fade from the bleachers as the weeks passed.  In spite of decreasing student support, the team still had some very dedicated fans that came to support them, even at away games.

“They’ve had a pretty good season,” sophomore Joseph Slezak said. “My girlfriend’s on the team, so as a show of support I bought food and went to their away games.”

As the season came to a close, the team had mixed feelings about the way in which it ended. However, their loss does not prevent them from feeling as if their season was a success.

“I don’t agree with people that say they have no regrets,” Horne said. “Of course there are things I’d change, but was it still a great season? Yes.”