Tennis team reflects on their season

By Sukiya Jones Sports Editor Senior Laila Means and Junior Kaylee Mazur are among Crete-Monee’s best tennis players this season. Head Coach Ms. O'Sullivan pointed out that Mazur and Means are very hard-working and dedicated players.

The Lady Warriors tennis team poses for a picture outside their home courts.

Means and Mazur both believed the team had a good chance of winning the conference. Mazur and Means said the team’s biggest competition in the conference this year is Thornwood. They said they could beat Thornwood because their team is better this year.

Means and Mazur said the coaching staff is an improvement from last year, and the team works harder and has a better structure. They also both like how the season went this year.

“The team has new players who are good, and also all players from last year have improved,” Means said.

“As a team all together, we are doing pretty good, and we are getting a lot of wins,” Mazur said.

To win the conference, Mazur and Means believed they had to keep conditioning, have good communication, have no drama, work hard, have fun, and stay disciplined.

Sadly, the Lady Warriors tennis team did not win the conference and finished the season with a record of 4-6, or third in the conference. However, Ava Waaso and Yaslin Strong finished the season 6-8, Oghenemine Ekasa and Chanel Tafolla finished the season 5-5, and Adebola Akande and Valeria Peres 5-7.

Kaylee Mazur’s favorite tennis player is Coco Gauff because she has won six WTA Tour singles titles, including a Major at the 2023 US Open. Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to become the youngest American woman to capture the US Open title since Serena Williams in 1999. Laila Means favorite tennis player is also Coco Guaff and Serena Williams because Serena won more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other woman or man during the open era in tennis.

“[I like] singles because there isn’t another person to get mad at,” Mazur said.

“[I like] singles [because] I don’t like to depend on other people, and I like to hold myself accountable,” Means said.

Both girls are all about holding themselves accountable and learning from their mistakes. Means ended the season by winning five singles matches and Mazur 12. Both Means and Mazur got voted for all conferences last year and again this year.