Over the past two weeks, Westside varsity girls tennis has taken some big steps forward. On April 11, they hosted the Warrior Invitational, which was a series of matches consisting of a whopping 17 schools across Nebraska. An impressive performance by the Warriors was highlighted by a solid 8-7 record in that tournament between the team. Ten days later on April 21, the squad took care of Omaha Central, winning 9-0 in that respective match. 

“Anytime you can get a sweep, or just get a bunch of wins under your belt it definitely helps gain momentum,” Westside’s head coach Bart Jeseritz said. “As we get closer to metros and the state tournament, getting those wins are huge.”

Westside started off the season in a bit of a rough stretch, losing some tight competitive matches in the midst of a very tough schedule. Recently, on April 15, the Warriors picked up steam achieving an 11-7 total record at the Kearney Doubles Invite, finishing third overall in the invite. Freshman Grace Greenwald and sophomore Ava Schroeder had a dominating 5-0 stretch in No. 1 Doubles, finishing first overall. For Greenwald, who predominantly participates in the No. 1 Singles, the switch showed the versatility that she and the team has.

“It was good to switch it up and be able to play doubles,” Greenwald said. “I feel like it’s good to have players that are willing to change things to benefit the team.”

Improvement has been the theme over the last few weeks for this team, and the squad’s performance is living proof of that.

“The girls are really growing together,” Jeseritz said. “I think that everyone on the team is learning to play in different slots than they did last year, so adjusting to that has really been great for the team overall.”

In an attempt to keep this momentum and recent success-level throughout the back half of the season, a players mindset each and every day can affect that outcome. Positivity and optimism will do more work than pessimism will in that field, and that’s something that senior leader Claire Bonnett stresses to the squad.

“The biggest key to staying on track and building momentum will be our attitudes,” Bonnett said. “The mental side of sports isn’t always talked about, but I think that our team is very capable of having the right mindset.”

The Warriors will be back in action tomorrow, April 28, at the Grand Island Invitational hoping to extend their recent success across the program.