Mustang tennis to be experienced
Codey Emerson
codey@jrpress.com
Fountain Central girls tennis comes into this 2024 season with a very experienced team. The Mustangs return a vast majority of both their varsity and junior varsity lineup from 2023 and will be expected to once again compete for hardware this season.
Leading the way for the Mustangs again at one singles will be senior Haley Webb at one singles. Juniors Alydia Mellady and Josie Harshbarger are also back at as the duo manned the two and three singles spots for the Mustangs a year ago. Senior Kendall Eberly and sophomore Laney Hoagland were at two doubles a year with junior Hannah Prickett also manning two doubles last season with the only graduating member of the Mustangs being Marylee Muniz who was Prickett’s partner a year ago.
With so many returners back, longtime Mustang coach David Kight knows that with a bulk of his team back from a season ago, that FC should be able to pick up right where they left off at the end of last year.
“I do feel like our team has picked up where we left off last year and that has allowed us to do more in practice,” Kight said. It’s been a lot less of the usual basic forehand/backhand/volley drills and more of the situational drills and play. With returning so many of our girls, our expectations this season are like they always have been; We always have the same expectations for our players - get better every day and to do that you have to have great effort and a good attitude every day. Our team goals are also always the same - win the conference and win the sectional.”
FC fell in the sectional championship to a talented Benton Central team a year ago but now with the revised sectionals, the Bison got moved out. Now the four-team sectional for the Mustangs includes WRC foes Covington, Parke Heritage and South Vermillion.
With a veteran group in 2024, Kight has already been impressed with how his team continues to work to get better and is a self-motivated group.
“These girls and their work ethic is something that always stands out,” Kight said. “They’re all very coach-able and work their tails off to get better. That’s what you want out of a team and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish.”
After a lengthy battle with Mother nature, the Mustangs finally get to open their season tonight when they travel to take on Parke Heritage.
