Sometimes in sports it’s more about learning from losses than celebrating the victories. That was the case for Trinity tennis on Monday after playing a very talented team from Shawe.
The Cougars lost 4-1, but head coach Julie Lemming thinks her team can get better from this.
“They were a team of depth,” Lemming said. “Just extremely skilled players. They outplayed us. The girls were not hanging too low though at our team meeting. We were kind of at awe with the placement skills this team had.
“We’re always talking about learning from teams this season and if there were ever a team to learn from it was Shawe Memorial.”
Sarah Lemming lost at one singles 1-6, 2-6; Regan Cain lost at two singles 2-6, 1-6; and Drew Hubbard lost at three singles 0-6, 0-6. In one doubles, Katelyn Mensendiek and Kiley Zabel lost 0-6, 0-6.
The lone victor for the Cougars was the two doubles team of Erin Enzinger and Rebekah Brown, who are now 2-0 as a tandem this season. They duo won their match 7-5, 6-3 on Monday.
“Their synergy together. They’re extremely compatible together playing doubles together,” Lemming said. “They both seem very comfortable in this position.”
One thing Lemming liked from her two doubles team was that when they lost a point, they would shake it off and almost smile about it. They were having fun while competing and not letting things to them in such a mental game that tennis.
It is almost a complete contrast to how the two were playing prior to the lineup change. Enzinger was in three singles struggling to get a win, and Brown was at one doubles with Hubbard, where they also struggled to find success.
Now, it appears Lemming has found the right combination with the two seniors.
“I was happy to see they were lighthearted about things,” Lemming said.
Next up for the Cougars will be a match against Hauser at home on Thursday at 5:30.
In terms of what the team will work on from now until then, Lemming wants to see better placement and better play at the net.
“Just aggression, especially at the net,” Lemming said. “Those are skills that come with experience. It takes some time and patience.”