Senior Leslie Ligier shook her head as she heard her friends cheering her on. She looked back, smiled and wiped off some sweat. It was girls tennis senior night — one of the last times that Ligier would get to play on the MVHS tennis team. Ligier, along with the rest of the tennis team, had the main goal of maintaining its undefeated streak. From just simple rallies to competitive shots, Ligier explained how her game has improved from her first year of varsity to her last.

“In freshman year I was playing in my comfort zone, just getting the ball back,” Ligier said. “As the years progressed, I started playing a little bit more with my head instead of just with my physicality — I started playing a little bit smarter.”

The only other senior, Cynthia Hom, describes senior night and how much she has improved over the years as well. When she started playing varsity Hom was primarily a singles player, but as the years progressed she became a doubles player. She explains how her bond with her partner Brook Young has strengthened after they were paired up to play doubles together.

“I think over the years I’ve gotten a lot better at doubles in particular, because I focused more on doubles than singles, so now I’m probably better at doubles than singles,” Hom said. “I don’t know why we didn’t start playing together earlier, because our playing styles together just work really well. They make us a really good team.”

Being on the varsity team for four years, Ligier had a different feeling now that she was being celebrated.

“Especially my senior year, [being on the team] has probably been the best so far since we’ve had a lot more wins this year,” Ligier said. “And, it was just a lot more welcoming.”

Ligier expressed that her four years on the team lead to major improvements on her tennis gameplay, preparing for playing college tennis, which is the next step in her career.

“Playing competitive tennis is very individual, so I figured out how to train with other people, play on a team and become a team player,” Ligier said. “[This] is essential for college.”

Hom explained how she wishes to continue her career of tennis in college whether it be on the school team or a club. She noted that she is not actively getting recruited, but is still optimistic that she will not give up the sport once she reaches college.

“I’m not going to get recruited, but I’m hoping to walk on and wherever I go, play on the team,” Hom said. “Even if I don’t get on the division, like the varsity kind of team, in college, I hope to play club tennis.”

Similar to Hom, Ligier explained how much of an effect her teammates have had on her overall tennis career. Throughout her four years of varsity, Ligier shared that she has made some lifelong friends and if there is anything to remember the girls varsity tennis team by, one of the reasons would definitely be her teammates.

“I’ve made a lot of really great friends here that I’m never going to forget,” Ligier said. “[They] have give me countless amounts of advice and just — definitely the people [will be my biggest takeaway from this team].”

Hom described how much of an affect the team has had on her successes in tennis. She explained that the team has delivered support when it was most necessary and also brought many unforgettable friendships.

“I love the team community and the way that [we’re] all really close. I think that’s what makes it really a team,” Hom said. “I think my biggest takeaway is that with tennis, it’s the community aspect. It’s one of the most important parts of it.”