Tennis Team Looks to Serve Up Successful Season

2011 Girls Tennis Schedule

The Hatboro-Horsham High School girls tennis season is about to get into full swing.

The 2011 Lady Hatters will have one week of intensive practices that began Monday before the first matchup of the season against Cheltenham High School Aug. 22, kicking off the beginning of the six-week regular season.

While the Hatters didn’t boast a winning record last season — the team went 2-5 in league play and 4-12 in the overall season — head coach Jill Cohen noted that the team will benefit from a wealth of experienced players.

Eighteen of last year’s 21 players — both varsity and JV — will be coming back to the court, as well as a handful of new players.

“I took over as coach last year and that was really a rebuilding year for us because we lost quite a number of seniors from the year before,” Cohen said.

Unlike some other sports, Cohen said tennis is one where formalized training can make a big difference in the number of games won.

“This isn’t a sport that you can just go out casually and play. It involves a lot of hand-eye coordination, practice and formalized lessons,” Cohen said, noting that while some of her players do take professional tennis lessons, that’s not universal. “A lot of the girls are seasonal players who like to get out on the court and learn the sport along with their friends, so our structure has been more performance-oriented as opposed to outcome-oriented.”

That’s not to say, however, that Cohen doesn’t expect victories for her team this season.

Several of the players have started formal lessons since last year and have been hitting informally with one another.

“I think I have grown as a player a lot since last season,” said team captain Gabrielle Viscounte, who added that tennis players need to not only master the physical demands of the game but also develop their focus. “I love tennis because it is a game that you are able to work on your whole life. I’ve always had a passion for this sport because it is not only physically challenging, it is also mentally challenging.”

Viscounte started playing tennis as a child and has taken year-round lessons for the past four years, devoting at least six hours a week to training. 

Most recently, she and her coach have been working on groundstrokes and serves. As a team, Viscounte said her fellow athletes have benefited from the techniques taught by the Lady Hatters coaches.

Lessons or not, Cohen said the experience of the large number of returning players will be key to securing wins.

“I expect us to improve upon our record this year,” Cohen said. “Some of the opposing schools have lost a lot of seniors but we’re returning quite a number of varsity members. So I do expect us to be more competitive in the league and overall with all of our matches.”

Cohen said the Hatters will likely see their stiffest competition from North Penn High School, as well as the Central Bucks teams.

To gear up for the season, the girls are participating in twice-daily practices this week, which will then become twice-weekly to accommodate the three weekly matches.

While the season will be demanding, Cohen said team members will be playing in an environment that also encourages them to enjoy themselves.

“The main thing I emphasize that they seem to take seriously is to stay focused and give it their best, but also to have a lot of fun. We try to integrate fun into our practices because you can accomplish things and still have a good time,” she said. “We’ll be teaching them a lot about tennis but it’s also about learning life lessons. They’ll be different players and will have grown a lot by the end of the season.”