Cooper City High School’s girl’s tennis team worked hard to defeat Plantation High School on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010.


The match took place at the Central Park Athletic Center in Plantation. All five singles players were victorious, as well as the players of both doubles matches. The team’s number one player; freshman, Amanda Yellen won her match against Alexandra Hart of Plantation High School.


“It gives me a great feeling when I come out with a win for the team. In order to beat my opponent, I tried to stay very confident and consistent,” says Yellen whose score was 8-0.


The match went by pretty fast and was finished within an hour. However, Yellen says she played a very defensive game, because of Hart’s aggressive playing style and strong serve.


Seniors Tammy Ong, Patty Mayer, and Taylor Simmons also defeated their opponents in their singles matches, with scores of 8-1, 8-4 and 8-3.


In a long and heated doubles match, freshmen Rachel Sharpe and Adi Braha were able to pull out a win for their team with a final score of 9-8. The match lasted almost two hours, with a tie-breaker in the end to determine the final winner.


“I was so tired and exhausted, but I tried to stay strong for my partner and my team. I told myself to never give up. In the end, we came out on top and it was the best feeling ever,” explains Braha.


To prepare for their matches, the girls practice at Pioneer Middle School for an hour everyday, after school. They do drills and play practice matches in order to defeat other schools. Some of the girls, including Amanda Yellen, Rachel Sharpe and Adi Braha also train at Bill Clark Tennis Academy in Rock Creek. Mrs. Cardona, coach of the girl’s tennis team helps the girls prepare for their matches by motivating them to always do their best.


Most of the girls on the team have been playing tennis for 3-6 years and are extremely dedicated to the sport. Freshmen, Gabriela Mayer decided to start playing tennis because her sister, Patty Mayer, is a senior on the girls tennis team. Gabriela is ranked 5th on the team and loves the competition that comes with every match she plays.


“We all have so much fun playing and practicing together. We are all like a family; we support and encourage each other during our matches.” Says senior Julia Farquar.


The girl’s tennis team will continue to practice hard until their next match against state champions, St. Thomas Aquinas. It will be a tough match; however the girls hope to improve their current record of 5-1.