The girls’ tennis team recently achieved an overall third-place finish at the Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC) Championship on Oct. 2. The atmosphere was intense and crowded, presenting both challenges and memorable moments. The ECC Championship consisted of 10 schools in the Cincinnati area. Players were chosen based on their rankings throughout the season.
The all-day event was a significant commitment that required players to miss school. For this reason, while some of the players were not competing themselves, they had to balance completing their schoolwork and cheering on their teammates.
Perasa Poompanit, ‘27, has been playing tennis at WHHS since freshman year. Poompanit noted that one of her biggest struggles during the tournament was playing in the heat, something that she and her teammates were not used to.
“When we play outside, [we are affected by] the heat because we practice inside at walnut because we have the dome,” Poompanit said.
Additionally, players play multiple matches a day, which can be very tiring for the students.
“Tennis can definitely be taxing; if you get to the finals, you have to play three matches, making it difficult to manage determination,” Poompanit said.
Cate Fitton, ‘25, who has been playing tennis for five years, echoed the same sentiment.
“Keeping my motivation was really hard, especially during the last match because at that point you already played three whole matches,” Fitton said.
Players were asked to participate based on their season rankings. Going into the championship, Fitton and her partner were ranked first as they did not lose a conference match during the regular season.
“I did feel some pressure because we were ranked first going into it,” Fitton said. “It’s really nice when you play doubles; when you have somebody else going through the exact same thing, to talk to your partner, it’s very nice to keep each other supported.”
Overall, the ECC Championship was a positive experience for WHHS. Poompanit enjoyed the opportunity to compete and connect with students from other schools. The athletes also share a strong supportive relationship with their teammates and coach. No matter what the end results were, they were still pleased by their efforts and participation in the ECC Championship.
“After we lost our last match, she [coach] was definitely supportive, gave us hugs, and told us she was still proud of us,” Fitton said.
For these players, tennis has built fundamental life lessons that can be used on and off the court. Fitton has developed many skills that help her stay organized and manage her time effectively, balancing practices, school work and social life.
“Even though it’s an individual sport, there are a lot of team-oriented things we do, so it made me more communicative with my teammates as well as my coach. It made me value showing up for people,” Fitton said.
Moving forward after the ECC tournaments, Poompanit is hoping to make it to states. She has been working very hard and will continue to improve herself more next season. For many of the SENIORS who play tennis, they hope to continue with their tennis experience, whether in college or recreationally.
“My goals moving forward are to take what I learned from tennis and keep applying it to my life, like time management, communication and teamwork,” Fitton said.