The Gibson Southern girls’ tennis teams faced off against Mt. Vernon in an away matchup on Monday, April 5. 

“We practiced every day after school to prepare, and we based what we practiced on bettering the skills we needed in order to win,” junior Maura Kluesner said. “Before every match we get partners and practice serving, hitting, backhands and forehands, etc.”

First on the order of matches was singles. Sophomore Gracia Jones competed against Lauren Boeke and defeated her 6-1 and 6-1.

“Gracia Jones at #1 singles stood out – she won 6-1 6-1 and essentially controlled the entire match,” coach Matt Grabbe said.

She was followed by sophomore Sydney Purcell who faced off and defeated Morgan Woods 6-3 and 7-5.

For the last singles match, sophomore Lillie Booth defeated Lily Denning 7-5 and 6-1. After three dominating singles matches, there was a high expectation for the doubles players.

First, senior Laynie Graham and junior Helen Kiesel faced off against Brooklyn Shell and Jenna Veatch. 

“I double faulted, and I completely missed a groundstroke and easy shots I should have gotten,” Kiesel said. “With doubles, I am always liable when I make a mistake. I get in my head and flustered sometimes. I just have to tell myself to shake it off and focus on the next play.”

The squad was able to shake off the rough start and defeat Veatch/Shell 7-5 and 6-0. 

“We started off a little slow in a few positions,” Grabbe said. “That is to be expected with it being our first match with zero varsity experience returning from last season due to COVID. I expect the beginning of the season to be a learning experience, but the team should continue to get stronger as the season progresses.”

The last match on the lineup was senior Kymi Reeder and junior Holly Gonyer who defeated Mt. Vernon’s Grace Leuder and Emma Schmidt. Reeder and Gonyer closed out their matches 7-6 and 6-1 over the Mt. Vernon duo.