Later this week when the boys tennis team starts their run for state, they play No. 16 Penn in the quarterfinals. With a state finals on the line and having lost in the state semifinals two years ago, the team will focus on making sure their practice translates to the match.

“This match is super important because it is one of the last matches of my tennis career as a senior and I want to make a good impact on my team with a win,” senior No. 1 singles Tyler Lane said. “I’m staying relaxed thinking about my game and my strengths knowing my hard work and hours of practice is what’s going to show in the upcoming matches.”

Throughout the season the team has won many important matches that gave them confidence going into the tournament. They beat Carmel 4-3 and avenged an early loss to Jasper with a 3-2 win later in the season. The team hopes to continue winning into state quarterfinals as they play a Penn team that just won against Homestead, 3-2.

“The key to the team’s success is to play how we have been playing. We need to focus on making shots consistently and to not go for anything special,” junior No. 2 doubles Jack Dybwad said. “We also can’t get upset about losing a point. We need to focus on the next point.”

Later this week when the boys tennis team starts their run for state, they play No. 16 Penn in the quarterfinals. With a state finals on the line and having lost in the state semifinals two years ago, the team will focus on making sure their practice translates to the match.

“This match is super important because it is one of the last matches of my tennis career as a senior and I want to make a good impact on my team with a win,” senior No. 1 singles Tyler Lane said. “I’m staying relaxed thinking about my game and my strengths knowing my hard work and hours of practice is what’s going to show in the upcoming matches.”

Throughout the season the team has won many important matches that gave them confidence going into the tournament. They beat Carmel 4-3 and avenged an early loss to Jasper with a 3-2 win later in the season. The team hopes to continue winning into state quarterfinals as they play a Penn team that just won against Homestead, 3-2.

“The key to the team’s success is to play how we have been playing. We need to focus on making shots consistently and to not go for anything special,” junior No. 2 doubles Jack Dybwad said. “We also can’t get upset about losing a point. We need to focus on the next point.”

Penn, who lost in the regional championship last year, is led by senior Chris Chen at No. 1 singles. Last year, Chen won northern Indiana conference MVP honors and went 21-4.

“Penn has a very singles heavy lineup with an aggressive game style in singles,” coach David Beasley said. “We plan on playing our individual game styles that we’ve been working on all year. Staying aggressive in doubles and moving a lot, and having controlled aggression in singles.”

A win against Penn would give the Trojans momentum as they attempt to head into the state semifinals for the second time in three years.

“This game is important to the team because playing a good opponent on a big stage will help us get better with all the pressure we have,” senior No. 1 doubles Daksh Patel said. “This team is going to be a challenge because we have never seen them before and are unaware what their team looks like. It’ll help the team if we win because it will give us more confidence about ourselves and get us ready for the upcoming matches.”

Penn, who lost in the regional championship last year, is led by senior Chris Chen at No. 1 singles. Last year, Chen won northern Indiana conference MVP honors and went 21-4.

“Penn has a very singles heavy lineup with an aggressive game style in singles,” coach David Beasley said. “We plan on playing our individual game styles that we’ve been working on all year. Staying aggressive in doubles and moving a lot, and having controlled aggression in singles.”

A win against Penn would give the Trojans momentum as they attempt to head into the state semifinals for the second time in three years.

“This game is important to the team because playing a good opponent on a big stage will help us get better with all the pressure we have,” senior No. 1 doubles Daksh Patel said. “This team is going to be a challenge because we have never seen them before and are unaware what their team looks like. It’ll help the team if we win because it will give us more confidence about ourselves and get us ready for the upcoming matches.”