The Tiger tennis team is on the road to state as they get prepared to play in their conference tournament this week. Tiger tennis has had an exceptional season. The boys team stayed undefeated until they played Catholic High at Rebsamen Park with a record of 6-1.The girls finished with a record of 5-2, only losing to Mount and Fort Smith.

“The guys won and the girls lost by two games.Those were the first matches that we lost. Both the girls and boys teams had gone undefeated before that,” sophomore Phoebe Raborn said. “It was kind of a bummer, but I also know that we all played very well, and that we travelled to Fort Smith, which takes a lot out on you.”

Both the boys and the girls tennis teams were tested again when they played Catholic High and Mount St. Mary’s for their final conference matches. First seed doubles boys for Central played Catholics first seed doubles, drawing in a captivated crowd to see this highly competitive game.

“The score ended up being 9-7, playing an 8 game pro-set, so we went back and forth,” junior Zandy Djurica said. “It was a very well played game.”

While some individuals won their games, both the girls and boys tennis teams lost to Mount and Catholic. However, they are keeping their expectations high for conference.

“I expect everyone to win most of their matches at conference which will hopefully give us a win,” senior Micah Megh said.

Conference matches start this Sunday, and the team will travel to Fort Smith. Both teams are excited to have the opportunity to bond with each other over this experience and cheer their teammates on throughout all the games.

“The team is so supportive of each other, everyone gets along really well with each other,” Raborn said. “The guys are super cool, and the girls are really supportive and lift each other up. Tennis has given me the opportunity to get closer to a lot of people.”

After conference, the Tiger tennis team will head to state where they hope to compete as well as they did last year or even a little better.

“Last year, our Boys were runner-up at State, so I expect to reach the same, or better, results. Our Girls’ teams have been working really hard on strategies that I believe will help them to get deeper in the brackets,” Coach Leandra Crook said. “We have a wonderful group of young athletes. We have grown from a very young team just three years ago into a dynamic, experienced team.”

During State and conference, you will be able to find every tennis player on the team sitting courtside, cheering on their teammates, as they hope for the same thing, a State title.

“To share a team is a very special connection. If we continue to lift up and support one another in all of our endeavors, on and off the court, our dreams can be a reality,” Coach Crook said.