Girls Tennis Off to Fast Start

Just two and a half miles north of campus off Lake Shore Drive, the Girls Tennis team hops off the bus, sets down their bags and prepares for a practice at Waveland, along the shore of Lake Michigan.

Senior and two-year captain Graysen Pendry leads the team out of the huddle at their home away from home.

Pendry also lines up as the No. 1 singles player for Parker, and while there was an initial period of transition to her current role as captain, she has been able to find that balance throughout her four years in the program.

“It’s a lot easier for me this year because I’ve been in both roles before,” said Pendry. “It was a lot of out-looking-in on my position last year instead of looking out, but this year I’ve learned from the things I did last year.

“I loved working with my past co-captains and this year’s co-captains as well (grade level Lula Notz and grade level Malea Caplan) because the really cool thing about being a captain as a junior and senior is the things you start your junior year, you can see through.”

Despite the challenges, the team takes playing off campus in stride. The improvement throughout the years is noticeable and a testament to the team’s effort and dedication.

“Our team has seen so much growth from the beginning of preseason to our recent matches,” observed Pendry. “We have really developed our JV as well as our varsity. It’s really great to see the team come together and be positive before matches, which is something we’ve been working on as a collective goal.”

With the season well underway, the team has already experienced success, including a sweep of British School of Chicago for their Homecoming game.

Coupled with a team win against Regina, individual wins against Latin and a growing JV team, the immediate future is bright, and those early successes only help shape the future of the program that not only has regional and sectional aspirations, but also wants to create a positive environment surrounding the program.

“We would love to do well in ISL and regionals, but I think the biggest thing to emphasize is we want to be having fun on the court while also keeping that competitive spirit,” said Pendry. “Even though I’m a senior this year, I’m really looking forward to seeing just how the players that are now on JV get brought up to varsity and grow from there.”

While an ISL title may be the ultimate goal, there are plenty of opportunities to practice and compete before regionals begin, many of those at Waveland.

Some of these upcoming matches include Tuesday, September 30 vs. North Shore Country Day and Senior Day vs. Brooks on Tuesday, October 14.

And with the Chicago weather as pleasant as it has been, there’s no better time to take the short trip up north to enjoy the last bits of sunshine on a hill by the lake and support the team.