Natalie Trzoss (11) took a deep breath as the court fell silent. She began her pre-serve ritual, bouncing the ball three times before focusing her gaze on her opponent. Her adversary stood in a ready-stance diagonal across the court from her. Trzoss locked eyes with her doubles partner, Aria Shah (9), who gave her a reassuring nod from up the net. Trzoss tossed the ball into the air, and with one forceful motion, shot the ball across the court, kicking off Trzoss and Shah’s first game on Oct. 17. 

Trzoss’s serve was the beginning to an intense rally. The final blow was a hard driven hit by Trzoss. When she saw her shot bounce on the ground and escape the racket of her opponent, she let out a victorious yell. 

While Trzoss and Shah were undefeated, with scores of 6-4 in the first game, 6-1 in the second, and 6-4 in the third, Westview fell behind 10-8.

The first match was close with long rallies, according to Shah. Bishops kept the pressure on by firing tricky shots that alternated from forecourt to backcourt. While the environment of tennis matches is usually kept quiet, Shah said that this courtesy is often not respected by the entourage of Bishops.  

“They’re really aggressive and very spirited,” said Shah. “The players and the parents are very loud, so we try to hype ourselves up and block out all the noise going on around us.”

The air was crisp from rain the previous day, and a strong breeze blew through the courts. Shah and Trzoss said the conditions were suboptimal because the wind can impact the ball’s trajectory, so they had to switch up their tactics. They had to make a lot of adjustments in the first set to account for this. 

“We stopped going for as many risky shots; instead we went for shots that had a higher percentage of success,” Trzoss said. 

Trzoss and Shah said they focused on consistency, striving to keep the ball in play and letting the other team make mistakes, rather than trying to execute more difficult shots that risked overshooting or hitting the net. 

During Trzoss and Shah’s second match, they found their rhythm and cruised to a 6-1 victory. 

However, the third match demanded persistence, as they overcame an early deficit to pull off a comeback. Bishops was able to secure a four-point lead early on in the game, so Trzoss and Shah said they desperately needed to make adjustments. Through consistent teamwork, smart shot placement and determination, they overcame the daunting deficit and clinched the win. 

While many of the doubles matches came out victorious for the Wolverines, Bishops’ wins in singles helped secure its overall win.

With a record of 15-2, Trzoss and Shah have proved to be a dynamic duo on the court. Their different strengths allow them to work together seamlessly, Shah said, and play to each other’s advantages. 

“[Trzoss] is really good at setting me up,” Shah said. “When she hits the ball, the opponent has trouble getting it back, so they give an easier ball that I’m able to take when I’m at the net.”

Even though Bishops came out on top this year, the Wolverines are working hard to ensure that they won’t be so successful next time by targeting areas of weakness.

“I need to work on volleying,” Shah said. “I’ve been working hard in practices and doing extra lessons with my coach outside of school.”

With the whole team working on sorting out their shortcomings, they will be prepared for any future opponents, especially Bishops. 

“This year we showed that we can compete with the best,” Trzoss said. “Next year we’ll be ready to beat them.”