The Niles West boys tennis team competed in a match against Maine West this past Tuesday, April 25. The Wolves won the game by winning four of the seven matches the boys played that day.
Head coach, Andrew Suarez, takes pride in the boys and the secret method the team has used to win each game. The boys use a new strategy, unlike in the past, and they are mixing and matching different pairings from varsity.
“The main goal was to win the match…but we were down six varsity players that day, so we actually managed to put together a winning team with some help from junior varsity [JV],” Suarez said.
Leadership is important, and there’s no other time of day as important as game time to show it. However, it is just as important to use it in real life, too. The boys captain is senior Daniel Woo; Woo is taking charge this year and leads his team to be the best versions of themselves.
“I love being able to motivate and bring the energy to everyone to give their best effort, whether it’s on or off the court,” Woo said.
Collaborating with new people can be difficult in a sport such as tennis. Teammates did not hesitate to step out of their comfort zone as they did whatever it took to win. Senior Max Spector had a positive outlook during the game, even though he didn’t have his usual partner to compete with. He looked to implement what he has learned this past season and gave it his all.
“The highlight of my match was getting to play with a new partner. Jonathan Lou, senior, my usual doubles partner, couldn’t go to the game, so it was cool to play with someone else on the team. I always love implementing what I learned during practice. I love competing, especially in doubles when I can go through the match with someone else on the team. It’s also nice to cheer on teams in other matches once mine is over,” Spector said.
Although Wolves went through a difficult situation due to a lack of players, they still did what was asked of them by clutching up the win. It’s easy to focus on the negatives or just one aspect of a tennis game, but it’s more important to be able to see the bigger picture and work from there.
“As a tennis player, I’ve been in a position where my players are. Just being able to say the right things to make it click in their heads sometimes turns matches around,” Suarez said.
