Over the course of two days, the EHS girls tennis team secured their sixth consecutive sectional win and are sending five athletes to state.
Senior Katie Woods and sophomore Albina Selimi were doubles partners and went undefeated through both days of competition, beating Belleville West 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals and 6-0, 6-0 in the final round.
Sophomore Amelia Hill and senior Campbell Hayes were also doubles partners and placed third in the doubles category.
Sophomore Dia Kannan was a singles player, beating Collinsville 6-3, 6-1 in the final round and earning third place overall.
Woods, Selimi and Kannan are returning to the state competition after performances in previous years, but it will be a new experience for Hill and Hayes.
“It’s very exciting, especially being a senior and this being my first time,” Hayes said in an interview with the Intelligencer. “I’m also happy to go with Amelia because she is such a good doubles partner.”
The sectional competition began Friday, Oct. 17, with all seven teams in the conference sending two doubles teams and two singles players.
The matches were originally held outdoors at the EHS tennis court, but had to be moved indoors to the YMCA Meyer Center due to the storms on Saturday.
According to Kannan, the players felt a mixture of pressure to perform well and positive reinforcement from their teammates and coaches.
“It definitely challenged me in the moment and while there was a lot of pressure and stress, I felt great and had my teammates cheering me on, making the moment memorable,” Kannan said.
Though the team felt the pressure of competition, many players weren’t surprised by their success.
“Our expectations were that we would win,” Woods said. “Based on our conference play and all the tournaments we played in Chicago, we felt confident that we would have a really good chance at winning.”
The win was a result of long hours of practice and dedication by all the team members, not just the state qualifiers.
“The whole team put in a lot of effort on the court the week before and because of that, I think we got a well-deserved outcome,” Kannan said.
David Lipe has been a coach for the team for over 30 seasons according to the Alton Telegraph, and is proud of the team for all of their accomplishments.
“I’m super happy for them,” Lipe said for the Intelligencer. “I’m super excited to see what they can do from here on out.”
The state championship will be held Oct. 23-25 in Chicago, marking a fruitful end to some athletes’ high school careers and an exciting next step in others.
“This is it,” Woods said. “This is what all the hard work has been for.”