Freshmen tennis duo do damage
Sweat dripping down their faces from both the ever-increasing 90 degree heat and the fact that they had been playing for nearly two-and-a-half hours, freshman doubles pair Daniel Priem and Elliot Simon found themselves at a crucial point in their match. After losing the first set, Priem and Simon made an impressive comeback to win the second set and ultimately tie the game. A tiebreaker was needed to seal a victory.
Despite a valiant effort, Priem and Simon eventually lost the tiebreaker and the match 1-6, 6-4, 12-14. Yet, the score did not hinder their experience.
“It was such a good game, we had so much fun playing it,” said Priem.
This match was not the first rodeo for the freshman duo; their history dates all the way back to their elementary school days. “We went to the same elementary school,” said Priem. “We found out we both played tennis and took lessons together.”
As the years have trailed on, Priem and Simon have still kept their bond on and off the court, ultimately leading to their position this year on the varsity boys tennis team. “We’re getting the full high school experience,” said Simon, “and are definitely playing a lot with each other.”
Out of the six varsity matches that the Trojans have played this year, the two have started as a doubles team in all of them. “We’re definitely always gonna be doubles together, we’re a guaranteed doubles match,” acknowledged Priem.
As the season comes to an end in the upcoming months, Priem and Simon are not only staying focused, but look forward to their next three years on the team. In his latter high school years, Priem wants “to be a team captain and get more experience in doubles.” Simon isn’t as sure, but “tennis-wise,” he looks forward to “going up the ladder and seeing what happens.”
As a former tennis player who was on the CVHS team freshman year, I can greatly respect both players’ ability to play for so long in the heat. Although they didn’t win, having fun is the most important thing in any sport. The enjoyment in playing and during breaks can amount to a whole lot, and make lasting memories.
The tennis duo Priem and Simon are a great team that may possibly be unmatched. If they continue to play well, they may go up against and defeat many competitive teams who are also working hard everyday to achieve success. The duo has been doing a great job in practicing everyday for long hours in 90 degree weather. It must’ve been hard to get to where they’re at considering they’ve started working together since they were both in elementary school. It’s unfortunate that the duo did lose the tiebreaker when there was tie between them and the other team. The opposing team had the upper hand and were too difficult to win against. However, if the team continues to work hard and practice for long hours, then they may be unmatched for any other team that they go against. Hopefully, the duo will win many tournaments throughout the years and could qualify for a major league in the sport of tennis.
I’m glad to see Tenis getting some attention and the lowerclassmen to try their best on the CVHS team. I am also glad that they are friends on and off the court as they can hone their skills by practicing and playing against each other. I like how won under the pressure as that is hard to do when one mistake could cause you the game.
Bonds between two people like this always make me happy. I love the fact that they have been playing tennis together since elementary school and are still planning on staying in duos together. That kind of friendship makes for great teamwork and obviously will bring fun to any kind of game, even if they lose like in this one. Hopefully they use their partnership to better each other and keep climbing the ranks because I am sure by their junior year they will be at the top if they use each loss as a learning experience and not as a failure. I wish I could have seen it!
Being a freshman on varsity is already a great accomplishment but being able to compete at that level is a whole different story. I am very impressed with this duo and I am excited to see them continue to compete at the varsity level for years to come and hopefully more after that!
i think it’s super crazy how they’ve known each other for so long, and played tennis with each other for such a long amount of time. it’s also interesting how they seem to have two different goals in regards to “climbing the ranks” in the team. i also think it’s awesome that two amazing freshman players got to be featured on the front slides 😀
It’s great to hear that the younger talent gets to show what they got. A lot of times we hear about the Seniors but Freshmen making an impact in the CVHS athletics is exciting. Could only imagine how good they will be once they’re a little bit older.