Two months into their season and with multiple wins under their belt, the tennis team is off to a hot start. 

Since tryouts at the end of February, the team has competed in 10 matches. They practice from 4 to 6 p.m. everyday at Fort Reno or UDC, except for game days. In addition to warm-ups that include volleys and overheads, they also “make sure we have time to do practice matches and play against each other because that’s the best way to get practice for when we play other schools,” said junior Eddy Hoover. 

Although one set is normally six games, the team often plays an eight game pro-set. When playing against other schools, they compete in seven different matches: three single sets of female players, three single sets of male players, and one set of doubles that are played by all girls, all boys, or co-ed. 

When opponents don’t have complete teams, only five sets would be played and the other two would be forfeited to Jackson-Reed. For exhibition matches, normally against private schools, the teams choose their own set combination beforehand. 

This year the team has seen some slight changes in the amount of players. “There are very few girls. I think there are only five girls on the official team, whereas before there were at least eight or nine,” said Hoover. 

As the season progresses, Jackson-Reed continues to face new competition. So far, the most notable match was against Maret, with one set lasting nearly two hours and a very strong effort despite the close loss. 

The team earned victories with sweeps against Dunbar, Bell, Anacostia, and Cardozo. School Without Walls continues to be the biggest rival for the team. “Every time we’ve played in the past two years, we’re always very close, with usually four matches won and three lost,” said Hoover.

Jackson-Reed’s tennis team is finishing out their season before the DCIAA and DCSAA tournaments on May 2-3 and May 15-18, respectively. Good luck Tigers!