Tennis was inZayn

Lady+Devildogs+huddle+before+playing+matches

Michele Burton

Lady Devildogs huddle before playing matches

After another successful season, the Lady Devildogs tennis team end their journey with a second round loss to Daniel High in playoffs. Despite the loss, the team won region for the fifth consecutive year, overcoming obstacles at the start of the season.

New coach Michele Burton quickly learned how to become a part of the family. Junior and number one seed Zayn DeAndrade says, “At first, we were not expecting too much from our team just because of the focus being on who’s playing where and having a new coach. But then Coach showed us how much she cared and really helped us through everything.” New starters also joined the line-up this season, like junior Megan King. “Going from the ninth seed to seventh, I was not sure if I would conform to the change in skill that the higher seeds play at,” King says. “But I worked hard and ended up surprising myself.”

Closely after the end of the regular season, the Lady Devildogs defeated Midland Valley 7-0 in the first round of playoffs then lost to Daniel in the second round 3-4.

DeAndrade qualified for the AAAA-AAAAA singles State tournament where the top players from each region are selected. DeAndrade battled in the first round to win 6-3, 6-2 before losing a 8-3 pro set in consolations on November 14.