Sydney Maurer, Haley Ammons, and Joey Smith holding their second place ribbons after most recent match. Photo Provided by: Joey Smith
As the WarDog girls tennis team hits the midway point of their season, they face trials and challenges of the taxing year. However, on March 31st, they came home with a commendable win of 4-3 against the Durango Demons. The WarDog tennis team is a combined team consisting of players from both Central and Palisade High School, the majority of whom are from Palisade. Through unpredictable weather, new additions to the coaching staff, a fluctuating line-up, and back-to-back games, the WarDogs have faced a demanding season, but have still managed to achieve triumph, reflected in a handful of 7-0 wins. Haley Ammons, a Junior at Palisade High School, has been an integral part of the team as a varsity player for all three years. This year, she claims her spot at No.3 singles. While reflecting on this most recent match, Ammons says, “Personally, for my match, it went pretty well. Recently, I’ve been struggling a little bit with actually enjoying the game of tennis, and this was the first match that I felt like I was getting my spark back again. I ended up winning the second set in a tiebreaker. It was a lot more work, but I feel like it showed my perseverance. I was up 5-1 in the second set and then my opponent came back and we were tied 6-6 but I was still able to get the win.”
Palisade Senior Joey Smith has the No. 1 singles for the last two years and has been having a great year. In Durango, Smith’s match was almost three and a half hours long and went to a third set. Smith lost her first set 4-6, won her second set 6-4, and then won her third set 6-3. Ammons explains, “It was a crazy match to watch. The amount of patience and control she had over the ball was so impressive. Overall, I feel like she got us that team win, because we were tied 3-3, and then she won. That was very accomplishing for a whole team to get that win over Durango.”
The natural drive of humans, especially athletes, to grow and improve, pushed the team to create goals for matches and the season as a whole. Ammons explains how it’s been a general goal across all the players to remember why they play the game of tennis and just to have fun. Ammons adds, “Another goal for the team was to be strategic. To not just hit the ball, but to read the other player.” The eleven-hour round-trip bus ride to Durango was draining and strenuous, however, the WarDogs team’s chemistry helped lessen the load. Ammons says, “The trip goes by fast because our team is very well connected. It’s a very big bonding moment for everyone to hang out and be with each other. It brings up really deep conversations and good laughs. Even though the drive can be miserable, it doesn’t feel as long being with some of my closest friends.” Despite the challenges, the WarDog girls tennis team continues to showcase resilience, camaraderie, and a love for the game, making every match a step toward success.