For the first time since March, the men’s and women’s tennis teams took to the courts to compete. 

Although it competed only in scrimmages, the team was happy to play in a more normal, competitive atmosphere.

“Being able to have that competitive atmosphere again gave the tennis team something to look forward to,” men’s and women’s coach Tom Lilly said.

At the beginning of the season, the players had to adjust to new circumstances and rules around their practices.

“Wearing a mask during playing has been a learning curve,” junior Gabby O’Connor said.

O’Connor and other players note the mask is hot and sometimes adds breathing difficulties, which was a challenge, especially in the beginning.

“But we pushed through, and now we are good,” senior Jose Oscar Diaz said.

During matches, players are used to frequent interactions with one another by giving high-fives, but with COVID-19 guidelines, those are no longer allowed.

Instead, they’ve come up with new gestures with their rackets. Not only have the practices been impacted, but the team environment has, as well.

“I feel like the COVID guidelines have made an impact on our team dynamic because we haven’t been as close to each other,” O’Connor said.

But being able to play scrimmages now has opened up a new door to get that dynamic back.

Normally during spring break, the tennis team travels to Florida to prepare for the season. Now, the question is if they will have a season and will be able to travel at all.

While questions remain for the upcoming season, the team is thankful to practice together and continue doing so for the coming weeks before the semester break.