The Allen Eagles have done something never been done before within Allen, and there was a lot of preparation to achieve this title. Players got to see firsthand what achieving something big looks like and know what they have to continue next year.
“The season went spectacularly,” assistant coach Jeffery Davidson said. “We were the first Regional Champions and State Semifinalists in school history. The team finished ranked #3 in Texas.”
Players and coaches explained the importance of preparing for the season ahead of time to make sure they are ready for what is coming.
“The preparation goes back to June and July,” senior Jaelyn Walker said. “All summer players had to prepare by working individually so that we could come together in August and do something that has never been done before.”
The team stated that going into a season requires a lot of preparation, and the coach stated many things they did to prepare.
“Tennis is year-round and athletes practice and play both during and outside of school,” Davidson said. “Our team practices are intense and focused on a daily basis. We practice every day during the school week all year, only taking breaks during school breaks such as Christmas.”
The team finished the season with a milestone that no one has ever seen at Allen, and different types of preparation went into that.
“I am proud of our season last year,” Walker said. “I mean, we broke a record, we went to state for the first time in school history. My sister played for this team four years before me, and I have seen this program grow, so doing something like this was pretty special.”
The team stated that there are many things that the team can do to continue the success they had this year, and hopefully lead to another successful season.
“I think to continue the success, some of the underclassmen are going to have to step up to leadership roles, but this year was such a good opportunity for them to experience playing at a high level, so they have something to work for and try to achieve again,” Walker said.
According to players, the team looked different this year, with people leaving, so they had to find a new way to have a successful season.
“We had to have a different mentality this season by working together to accomplish what everybody thought we wouldn’t,” Walker said.
Senior Olivia Lundberg shared how she adopted a new mentality following her last season at Allen.
“With this being my senior year, I slowed down and focused more on relationships with my teammates instead of just worrying about whether I was fit enough to continue playing and just worrying about everybody’s mental state and focusing on the time I had left with the team, ” Lundberg said.
The team posted a video of the moment they advanced, stating it was an emotional moment for the team.
“We weren’t even supposed to win districts, so for us to be able to go all the way to state for the first time was an insane experience and something I never thought I would get to accomplish, ” Lundberg said.
