Written and Media by Tymber Gabbert.
The GC Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams not only got to spend spring break playing tennis, but also got to soak up the sun as they spent the week in Hilton Head, S.C.
The men’s team proved a point by going 3-1 overall as they defeated North Central 5-4, Loras 9-0 and Buena Vista 8-1. The loss came against St. Thomas with a score of 1-8. Head coach Brett Brannon believes that this past week proved to be very successful and stated that the success rate between doubles and singles was very even.
Out of all of the matches, the Loras contest was the highlight of the week. “The Loras match was our best match. Going into the match, we expected a very close match but we ended up winning 9-0,” states Brannon. Code Power was the player that stood out to Brannon the most this week as he was named the SLIAC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week, with an impressive four-game undefeated streak in singles and contributed to three wins in doubles.
Unfortunately, the women’s tennis team did not see the success that the men’s team saw. They went 0-3 overall with the losses coming against North Central 1-8, St. Louis Pharmacy 3-6 and Millikin 1-8. Although it didn’t translate to wins on their record, there are still positives that came from this spring break experience. Senior captain Lexi Baysinger stated, “Hilton Head is always a great bonding experience for the team. Since we stay in a house together for a week it really allows the girls to spend time with each other and learn more about each other.”
Baysinger went on to say, “We also got better at encouraging each other as the week went on, there are some girls who don’t get a lot of court time in matches, so it was great to see them stay involved in watching the matches that were on the court and cheering on their teammates.”
The Panthers are back in action on Thursday, March 31, as the women take on Kaskaskia College in Centralia, Ill, and the men compete against Principia College in Elsah, Ill.
Check out the video below to hear junior Brooke Bryant’s thoughts on the Spring Break tennis trip to Hilton Head, S.C.!
