On January 10, NC’s varsity and junior varsity tennis tryouts commenced with ease in Legacy Park Circle’s tennis courts, despite encountering inclement weather, which moved the tryouts back a day.

Once present, the hopeful players displayed a wide range of talent and promise.

Upon arrival, coaches divided the prospective players by genders. They then sent the pint-sized groups to the courts for warm-ups to ensure that the athletes could play to their best abilities. Next, the coaches separated the  attendees into groups based on experience playing for NC in previous seasons.

“After they split us up, it was pretty clear there were way more girls and not enough boys for a full team, so I was a bit worried about how it would play out,” NC senior and former JV team member Christian Kulat said.

Following warm ups, the coaches came directly to the courts, and put boys and girls who previously played for NC on a court together. They also placed the newer hopeful players on different courts. Then, they started running tennis drills with attendees to figure out what areas they struggle with or have expertise in.

Although this year slightly differed compared to previous years due to the overwhelming number of girls trying out, hopes remain high regarding this season’s success.

“We are so excited for this season and have a really strong team, so we are aiming to be state champions,” NC boys varsity tennis coach Nishmin Porbandarwala said.

The season’s first JV and varsity boys matches take place at Allatoona on Tuesday, February 6 and Monday, February 12, respectively.

Before this, however, practices will continue to take place on Wednesdays, with the first practice occuring on January 24th.

At these practices, players run drills and focus on key tennis techniques in preparation for their first match. These techniques include tennis forehand, spiking, serving, tennis backhand, and court placement.