The tennis team is back in full motion as the varsity squad recently competed against some of the tougher teams in the state.

The Notre Dame tennis team played Neenah High School, Nicolet High School, Marquette University High School and Brookfield East High School.

“They are all top 10 ranked teams in division 1, so they are all pretty tough,” said Will Templeton, a senior captain on the team.

The varsity team defeated Neenah and Nicolet but  lost tough battles against Marquette and Brookfield East.

Templeton explained that these wins helped secure their number one ranking in division 2 and helped the confidence grow on the team.

These two tough wins, he said, shows the players that they are “competitive with every team” on any given day.

Henry Weid, a junior on the JV tennis team, likes what he sees from his fellow tennis players.

“It’s neat to see the seniors succeed and flourish just in time for the season,” said Weid.

Steve Burns, coach of the varsity tennis team, has set some high goals for his players this year.

“I believe this team has a chance to win the conference and, more importantly, compete for the D2 state championship,” said the veteran coach.

Burns has coached tennis for multiple years and has learned what it takes to be a good tennis player.

“Tennis is a mentally challenging sport, it does take athleticism, but it also takes the mental aspect that separates the good players from the special ones,” said Burns.

Burns notes that coaching tennis is the same as coaching any other sport–that is, providing strategies and tips to the players along with keeping his players’ emotions in check.

“Tennis is an individual sport by nature, but especially in high school and college level, it takes a team to win,” said Burns.