The Issaquah Eagles JV tennis team won 6-1 against the Mount Si Wildcats in one of their best matches all season. Since their last match before spring break was canceled, the Eagles had not competed in two weeks coming into yesterday’s game, and nerves were high. Despite the worries, sophomore Rebekah Lee dominated her competition, easily taking the two sets needed to win for Issaquah and giving her opponent no chance to catch her. Yesterday’s game was Lee’s return onto the court after an ankle injury, and while she was nervous about her performance, it is safe to say that she had nothing to be concerned about. An intense match between a Mount Si duo and the doubles team made up of junior Linda Bennington and freshman Nomuna Jargalsaihan also resulted in a win for the Eagles, with a lot of hard work and dedication from the pair. 

Despite her success, Lee says that she would have “loved to have a fully recovered ankle” before stepping onto the court yesterday. Even after receiving compliments on her serves from her opponent and Mount Si’s head coach, Lee still did not feel as though she was at her best. Although not returning from an injury, Bennington also believes that she could have played a bit better during the match, especially when it came to having “harder volleys that did not go out of bounds.” Bennington is optimistic about improving this skill and learning more in general. She holds a positive outlook when looking forward to the rest of the season. Sophomore Nigella Del Rosario is proud of the positive attitude she maintained during the entire match even though her exhibition match did not result in a win. Del Rosario has similar aspirations to Bennington for the rest of the season; to improve, learn, and stay positive with the rest of the team. No matter the results and the performance of each individual member, Issaquah’s tennis team is clearly united as one, ready to support every member throughout every game. 

Head coach Ann Swiftney said that she is “very proud of the girls” when asked about yesterday’s match. “I am proud of their fight and focus.” Swiftney goes on to describe technical elements that went well, with “long rallies, communication between the doubles, and strong serves” being a few of the qualities that led the Eagles to victory yesterday evening. Considering that Issaquah won six out of seven of the matches, it is only right to be proud of the team! However, there is always room for improvement. Swiftney wants to focus on “adjusting to their opponents” in future practices leading up to their next match. She adds, “We keep seeing the same shot attempted by opponents, but we are not adjusting to prevent them from making the point.” 

All in all, the Issaquah Eagles took home a well-deserved and well played victory, and for this team, the only way to go is up.