story by Cody Clawson|
A brand new coach, almost no returning players, and a tough schedule all in one year is not something a high school team looks forward to.
The Liberty girls tennis team has taken on a whole new look this year. With the opening of Liberty North, many athletes have made the move from Liberty to the new school. Along with these athletes some coaches have made the move too. Doug Davis, Liberty North’s tennis coach, was Liberty’s girl’s tennis team last year. Now that Davis is gone, new coach, Pam Koch has taken over.
Last year, a majority of practice involved playing singles or doubles. This year, the girls have stepped it up and taken it to the next level.
“The practices have gotten really different,” junior Kristin Filardo said. “There is a lot more conditioning and she pushes us to the limit so we can play at our highest potential.”
Koch is focusing this year on getting these girls in shape through core strength, footwork, and endurance workouts so they can outlast their opponent. The team has only three returning varsity players so they cannot rely on experience to win many matches. They have to create new ways to come out victorious and hopefully make a run at state.
“She [Koch] likes to do anything to win so she will actually try and coach us. I like winning just as much as her so together we will do anything to win,” senior Abby Fish said.
Koch takes the time to talk to each of these girls and make a strategy to help them perform at their best. “I think I understand physically and mentally what and how the girls feel approaching matches and try to assist them strategically in those matches. I am a competitive person and I feel my coaching style presents a competitive attitude,” Head Coach Pam Koch said.
The number of inexperienced players could hurt the team at first, but the team members are doing everything in their power to keep the winning ways going.
“Even though we are not returning many players I think we will be okay and have a good team,” sophomore Nikki Jennings said.
