Tennis, along with all of the other spring sports, are already underway
here at the Upper School. With the postseason on the horizon, the Bucs
are looking to establish themselves as one of the top tennis programs in the district.

Varsity tennis player and sophomore Canyon Rauch is pleased with how the team has performed so far this season. He also harps on how the team has better chemistry compared to last season.

“I think the team has performed great. We have had some trouble in some matches which we maybe should have won by a greater margin, but the team is a closer and a more bonded team then last year, which I think is good for rebuilding for years to come. My expectations going into this season were to build the team closer, but that came quicker than I expected and now we can focus on getting better,” said Rauch.

Rauch also mentions how he believes the team could improve with more individual skill. This would be instrumental in guaranteeing further
success for the team.

“Everyone on the team is good at different levels and shots, but every-
one needs to put in the time to focus for next year so we are a strong team
in the district and in most matches,” added Rauch.

Varsity tennis player and senior Danielle Lancaster is also happy with
the team’s performance. She believes that the team is living up to the expectations that she had entering the season.

“We have a really cohesive and close-knit team that knows what to do to win and usually does that. Lately, we have been playing some really difficult opponents which have proven to be a challenge. I think I had high hopes for the team this year; we have lots of new, young players that
have been very successful thus far,” says Lancaster.

Lancaster believes that Benjamin has what it takes to make it to states.

“I think our end goal is always to make it to states as a team. To do that,
we have to win regional finals, which are usually against Holy Trinity. I
think we definitely have a chance to do that this year,” says Lancaster.

Another varsity tennis player, freshman Chester Coles, thinks that more practice will help Benjamin be able to further compete with the best
of the best.

“We have had such a great number of matches against other schools, and I feel that more time to practice would give the team the possibility to
improve in both singles and doubles,” says Coles.

Coles is also holding high hopes for the team, with his eyes on regionals as his first major goal for the team, noting that it is a bar that the team can certainly exceed.

“Our ultimate goal this year is to get to the regional tournament later this season, and I think that’s a realistic goal for us at this point,” says Coles.

The players on this year’s Benjamin tennis team all are very talented and have what it takes to win a lot of matches. Combine that with a wave of confidence and a hunger to be the best, the team may just be able to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves throughout the season.