Smiling at the camera, the Varsity Tennis team celebrates winning districts. They played against Liberty Hill on Tuesday night and won with a final score of 10- 5. “We improved a lot even from the last game,” senior Blake Hillis said. “We lost against them the last time we played [Liberty Hill], but it was really close. It was just really important for us to win this match since it was the district finals. [When we won I felt] overwhelmingly happy, especially being there with my teammates and it being my senior year. It was just really great. It [felt] like a community.” Photo courtesy of CPHS Tennis.

The tennis ball is a flash of neon green as both teams volley it back and forth. Teammates, parents, and coaches cheer for the athletes as they watch their hard work and determination pay off on the court.

On Tuesday, the varsity tennis team had their final district match against Liberty Hill. Overall, the team won with a score of 10-5. Senior Mitchell Allen-Barnhart played singles and line one doubles.

“Everything just kind of clicked,” Allen-Barnhart said. “Our serves [were] going in, our volleys were going in, and I was playing very smart and very consistent. Personally, I have had a lot of beef with Liberty Hill since sophomore year as they are a very disrespectful and rude team. So beating Liberty Hill, it felt really nice senior year to finally just give them one last win [against them].”

The team recently changed their lineup to make the mixed team stronger. Allen-Barnhart said he and his doubles partner, senior Michael Anthony, struggled with the change at first but played well against Liberty Hill.

“On the bus ride there, I was listening to music, just trying to stay focused,” Allen-Barnhart said. “Once we got there, Michael and I took a long time warming up, making sure our strokes felt good, making sure our volleys were good. We were very careful and we thought through everything before we went out and played.”

Junior Irene Jin won both of her doubles matches. To prepare for her match, she worked to stay hydrated and listened to the coach’s pep talks.

“There was one [pep talk where] the coach said that we had to win this time,” Jin said. “The other team had made some comments about one of our teammates a year before and I think that [the coach’s pep talk] really motivated [me] to not let them get under my skin.”

This is the second time Cedar Park has beat Liberty Hill in the district finals and become District Champions.

“I was kind of in shock,” Jin said. “I didn’t expect it to happen. I was watching one of the other matches when our number-one boy Dylan won and we all just started jumping up and down and celebrat[ing].”

Senior Blake Hillis played doubles, and although she lost her first set, she and her doubles partner came back and won the second set and the super tiebreaker of the match.

“We improved a lot even from the last game,” Hillis said. “We lost against them the last time we played [Liberty Hill], but it was really close. It was just really important for us to win this match since it was the district finals. [When we won I felt] overwhelmingly happy, especially being there with my teammates and it being my senior year. It was really great.”

Liberty Hill is known for being a hard team to play against, according to Hillis.

“They’re definitely a mental challenge with how they play the game,” Hillis said. “Coach wanted to make sure that when we were there we played our best and didn’t let them get to us. [The hardest part of the match] was coming out of the first set losing and having to really [get] back in the game..”

To prepare the team to go against Liberty Hill, Coach Ballenger trained his players on the mental side of the game.

“I know those big crucial games [are] really emotional and when you’re in the middle of it, you really need to just be in it,” Ballenger said. “In those crucial moments there’s going to be a time [when] you’re so frustrated. You can’t dwell on that, because you can’t change what just happened but you can change what is going to happen.”

The athletes on the varsity tennis team did a good job applying what they learned in practice to their district match, Ballenger says.

“They were so locked-in and ready to play,” Ballenger said. “They did what I asked them to do from the start and all the way to finish. [It felt] incredible to [watch them win]. I was so proud of them, they made my job easy. They were just doing what we’ve been working on and what we’ve been practicing by ourselves. I was super proud of them.”

Varsity tennis will compete in their Bi-District Playoff match on Oct. 7 against Smithson Valley High School in Wimberly.