The varsity table tennis team competed at the state tournament on March 1. They played against Whitney Young, the Illinois Math and Science Academy and Stevenson High School. The team was able to compete hard, and place third in state.

Coming into the new season, the team only had two returning players and had to adjust their strategies to welcome beginners onto varsity. Head coach Jerry Pope is proud of how far the team went, considering most have never played before joining the team.

“Most of our players have never played before they got here, and we [went] against teams where most of their players are nationally ranked…I told them win or lose, I know at the end of the day that you put everything on the line, that you played your heart out…and they really did just that, that’s what made me especially proud,” Pope said.

Junior Tristan Lee is the co-captain of table tennis. Lee is very proud of how the new team was able to step up at the tournament through their heart and skills.

“At the tournament, I was very pleased with our players as well…whether it be winning matches, giving advice, supporting each other, or just practicing with each other, everyone did their part,” Lee said.

The team practiced long and hard to prepare for this tournament, working on basic drills as well as scrimmaging against each other at each practice for two and a half hours after school multiple days a week. Pope believes that the tough practice and dedication the players made is why the team has had so many accomplishments.

“I think that one of the keys to our success is that I’ve always believed in playing a lot…we incorporated about 45 minutes of drills in the beginning of our practice, then we host our own inner tournaments [at practice]…because the key to success is when you can play a variety of different players and respond to different techniques,” Pope said.

Junior Andrii Ustenko is the other co-captain of the team, and has been a part of the team since his freshman year. Ustenko saw what the team’s strengths were, but recognizes that the team still needs to work on their techniques.

“As a new team, it was hard for us to compete against different schools, but we did pretty good…we tried to stay consistent, not let opponents get into our head…we just need to [improve on] the basics, it all starts from the basics,” Ustenko said.

Lee has high hopes for the team next year, and is already thinking of ways to improve during the off-season of competitive table tennis.

“I can’t wait for what next year will bring…next season I hope to come in with more playing time…I plan on having teammates come over and having little practice sessions over the summer,” Lee said.

The team will combine with the ping-pong club to compete in the Illinois-Wisconsin showdown on March 16.