CFNN Reporter: Nicolle Owens

The Cape Fear High School ladies’ tennis team is off to a strong start with two wins against Garner Magnet High School. With a new coach, Morgan Odom, joining the team this season, seniors Haylee Hall, Alissa Fulghum, and Aslyn Autry shared their thoughts on the team’s recent wins and their final season playing for Cape Fear.

The team played its first two matches on Aug. 17 and Aug. 25, winning both. The matches ended with scores of 6–3 and 5–4. The girls played hard in both matches and are ready to continue their season.

Odom, a new teacher at Cape Fear High School and the ladies’ tennis coach, talked about the team’s strategy going into their upcoming matches.

“Our strategy was to focus solely on our game and worry less about the other team’s lineup or strategy. Throughout the week, we diligently worked on controlling the net and securing early points. The girls executed this plan really well, especially on the lower courts. We also discussed playing smart tennis and utilizing angles to make it difficult for our opponents to hit return shots,” said coach Odom.

The matches stayed close after singles, but doubles ended up being an important part of the team’s success.

Haylee Hall, a 4 year senior who plays on the second court, states how doubles helped the team get the win.

“The turning point of the match was definitely doubles. We were up by two, but if the opponent were to win all three doubles, they would’ve won the match. My doubles partner, Kennedy Hancock, and I won our doubles match, which helped us win the game,” said Hall.

The girls also focused on keeping their energy up throughout each match. Alissa Fulghum, a 4 time senior who plays on the first court, states how she managed her energy during her match.

“The way I managed my energy was since I’ve already played this girl before, and I knew how she played and where she was good with her placement. She hit corners a lot on the side of the court, and I realized she would do it again. So, I managed my energy by not putting it all into hitting corners. I got the ball back and didn’t waste my energy on hitting the ball back too hard,” said Fulghum.

Another important part of the girls’ strategy was keeping the ball in play and waiting for their opponents to make mistakes.

Aslyn Autry, a 3 time senior who plays on the third court, talked about what she focused on during her match.

“One factor that I focused on a lot was keeping the game at play and just playing the point, trying not to force stuff. Because if I force stuff, it would just go into the net or out. So, I just focused on keeping it in play so that she would make the errors instead of me,” said Autry.

As seniors, Hall, Fulghum, and Autry have also had the chance to look back on their previous seasons and think about what they would have done differently.

Hall said she wishes she had put more effort into tennis when she was a freshman.

“As a senior, I definitely wish I would’ve put more effort in as a freshman. We didn’t play much. I didn’t really go to practices. I didn’t really care, but now, playing in the top three, I definitely have to make sure that I give it my all,” said Hall.

Fulghum said she also wishes she had realized earlier how important each season was.

“Throughout each season, I wish I would’ve given it more effort. I feel like before I was a senior, I didn’t realize how important it actually was, and I didn’t give it my all. Now that it’s my senior year, I realize that I should have, and I’m definitely giving it my all now,” said Fulghum.

Autry said that being a senior has made her appreciate her time on the team and the people she has played with.

“With it being my senior year, I wish I would’ve spent more time valuing my experiences and the teammates that I had on the team. With it being my senior year, I realize that my time is almost up, so I need to value every moment. Even though it may be a tough match, I just need to focus on the opportunity that I’m blessed with and give it my all,” said Autry.

After two wins to start the season, the Cape Fear ladies’ tennis team is looking to keep the momentum going. Their next match will be away at Lumberton High School on Aug. 31. Cape Fear Colts, come out and support our girls as they take the court and continue their season!