Trinity Lutheran head coach Julie Lemming asked her team to visualize what the match against Christian Academy will go like Tuesday night.
Each player said they wanted to win, so Lemming told them to do what they think they need to do to get victories.
Much to the coach’s pleasure, her tennis team went out and executed their wishes as the Cougars won the match with a 5-0 sweep.
There were strong performances all around, starting with Sarah Lemming, who defeated Elana Hamby 6-3, 6-0 in one singles.
“Sarah in particular rattled her opponent with not only her strategy, but she was very calm and composed,” Lemming said.
It was the same case for Regan Cain at two singles, as well. Cain defeated Anna Neil 6-0, 6-1.
“She was very consistent,” Lemming said. “She showed up to win.”
As important as it was for Lemming and Cain to show composure in their matches, it was even more important for Drew Hubbard to be calm in her match at three singles.
Hubbard was defeated against Hauser last week, and she was very frustrated after the match. But Tuesday, Hubbard was able to keep her cool and came away with a victory under unusual circumstances.
After dropping a first-set tiebreaker, Hubbard was up 5-1 in the second set before her opponent, Grace Kreutner, had to forfeit due to medical concerns.
“The second set, she got it together,” coach Lemming said. “She was focused on fixing her mental resolve heading into this match.”
Much like singles, the Cougars’ doubles teams took care of business, as well.
Katelyn Mensendiek and Kiley Zabel defeated Adeline Baldwin and Maddie Paul 6-4, 6-2 in one doubles. Coach Lemming said both Zabel and Mensendiek were playing well at the net.
“They are a bit more serious on how they play,” Lemming said. “They have a different style, if that makes sense. They both played really well.”
Then at two doubles, Erin Enzinger and Rebekah Brown defeated Rebekah Wright and Lacy Kendall 6-3, 6-3. One of the keys to the success that Brown and Enzinger have had this season has been their ability to have fun on the court.
“They just exuded relaxation,” Lemming said. “They were smiling again. They know sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, and I think that helps them mentally. They did well tonight.”
It was a happy bus ride back from Christian Academy for the Cougars, who enjoyed a meal of Taco Bell and had some jam sessions.
Up next for Trinity will be another road match on Thursday, this time at Edinburgh, slated for a 5 p.m. start time.
“Our practices lately have been laser-focused on certain skills,” Lemming said. “We’ve spent some time splitting up the girls and saying what we think they need to work on and what they think they need to work on. We saw that come to fruition in this match.”