Varsity tennis wrapped up their fall season with a third-place finish in district, defeating rival Round Rock High School to close out their run. The Mavericks battled through a tough schedule that began in late July and carried into early October, often playing two matches a week.

Junior Nikhil Sridharan said that the season started off with challenges as new players joined the team.

“This season was definitely challenging at the start as we had a lot of new players join the team, so making new connections was something that everyone had to do,” Sridharan said. “We worked super hard and played two matches almost every week from before school started in late July to early October, and just yesterday we placed third in the district by beating Round Rock HS 11-4.”

Sophomore Suhani Rao described the season as one of growth, both for the team and for herself.

“Overall our team’s season was exceptionally good,” Rao said. “Even though we lost some matches, we stepped up when it was time for district’s. It was difficult at first to get our team back together, especially with our seniors graduating. I think we played really well, and more importantly as a team.”

One highlight for Rao came in her doubles match during district play.

“Playing doubles with Irene in district’s for 3rd place was a memorable match for me,” Rao said. “That doubles win was super memorable because after we finished we had a chant, so we screamed ‘MAVERICKS’ and everyone else screamed ‘FIGHT!’ That moment was spectacular, because all of our teammates were so amazed and the scream was so loud, it was a moment to remember.”

Both players noted how the team grew closer as the season went on, turning individual efforts into team accomplishments. For the Mavericks, that bond paid off in one of the toughest tennis districts in the state.