Emma Red | Staff Writer

The girls tennis team opens sectional play tonight at 4:30 p.m., taking on Franklin, a team they beat 3-2 just last week to win the county title. Last year, when moved away from CG’s defeated Franklin 5-0 at the indoor facility.

  “We’ll be playing Franklin as a team during our first round, and its important that we win,” Abby Hoard ‘20 said. “A loss means we are out of the state tournament, so we’ve been having some really focused practices in preparation.”

  Previously this season, the team has placed second at both the Zionsville Invite and the MIC tournament, finishing as runner up behind No. 7 Zionsville and No. 3 Carmel.

  “Our key to success is confidence in ourselves and believing that we can win a match,” Hoard said. “You always have to take a deep breath and just remember the hard work that you’ve put in.”

  Franklin is coached by Rusty Huges, a former college tennis coach with numerous “Coach of the Year” awards under his belt. Under his guidance, Franklin has had recorded seven 5-0 wins this month alone.

  “We’ve trained really hard and prepared specifically for teams that we know will be tough to beat during the tournament,” Hoard said. “We just have to be prepared and believe in ourselves.”

  “We want a lot of momentum going forwards into these state tournaments,” Jenna Boha ’20 said. “Last year and the year before we made it to state, and since we’ve been so aware and focused on our games with Franklin, I have a positive outlook about the tournament.”