Tennis - Girls - Mercer Island High School

Girls Tennis Coaching Staff
Head Coach:	Assistant Coaches:
Jacquie Hartmann	Ron Akins
	Barbara (Leigh) Perks
	Grace Bethards

UPDATED 11/15/2022

IMPORTANT ANNOUCEMENTS:

Spring Sports 2023 Registration opens July 25 2022

Please have registration and packet in by February 16th.

The first day of Spring Sports is February 27th.

Only those whose Eligibility Packets are completed, and on file in the Athletic Office will be able to get on the court.

ALL SPRING SPORTS PARENT MEETING- March 7th 6:00pm-8:00pm. Meetings will start in the PAC and then break out by individual sports.

Tennis Photo Day: TBD, @ tennis courts, but if it is raining they will be indoors. Hope for a dry day.

Registration is a 2-step process. You must complete the online portion as well as turn in the sports packet to the Athletic Office.

Online Registration : Online Registration Link

You will be required to submit the following forms to the Athletic Office: 2022-2023 Athletic Packet

**Note if this is your 2nd or 3rd sport, only a Signature Page is required to be turned into the Athletic Office, as well online registration needs to be completed**

Athletic Health Form, which includes the Physical Exam, signed by a physician( a current physical is required and may already be on file with the athletic office)
Signature Page
Emergency Medical Authorization From

* Refund Notice (please refer to Athletic Eligibility Handbook): If the Athletic Office is notified no later than the second full week of practice, a refund will be given in full. There will be no refunds issued after this date.**

Welcome to Girls Tennis!

Below is key information about our teams and season:

Important Dates: Typical Season Dates

Tryouts are TBD Saturday session time is TBD

Reserve all Saturdays in May for practice and matches due to this shortened season. We may not use all the Saturdays, but you will need to reserve the time.

Try Out Information:

What Happens at Tryouts?

Tryouts begin with a meeting at the MIHS tennis courts immediately after school on Feb 28th. Come ready to play with your racket and a water bottle. There will be a quick coach introduction, a short warm up and then tryouts begin on the courts. If there is rain, we will meet at PEAK. Everyone will be evaluated by all the coaches. We nearly always have rainy days during our first week of tryouts. We do our best to determine teams quickly.

How are Players Evaluated?

In addition to tennis skills, we look at agility, foot speed, balance, general athleticism, attitude, work ethic and enthusiasm for the sport. If we are hampered by rain, the evaluation process may be adjusted and take longer.

Once teams are set, every team will have challenge ladders. This enables players to compete and demonstrate improvement during the season. In some instances, players who emerge at the top of their team through challenges may move up to the next team or play in matches with the next higher team.

How Many players are on each team?

*Girls Tennis will be a cut sport if the number of players trying out exceeds 50. In 2018, we had 93 girls tryouts.*

Team size is variable from year to year because we group together players of similar skill level as part of determining team size. In general, team size targets will be:

Varsity 12

JV1 16-18

JV2 16-18

What is the Time Commitment During the Season?

No matter which team you are assigned to, each player should block out 3 p.m.-6 p.m M-F from May 3rd-June 12th. Every day must be blocked out for practices and matches throughout the entire season. We do not have practices or matches during Spring Break. Matches can happen any day of the week and, due to rainouts, we can have as many as 3-4 matches a week toward the end of the season.

What if I have a weekly conflict and will miss a day or part of a practice each week?

A tennis team is not doable for those who have any type of consistent weekly conflict. Examples of conflicts we do not excuse are Driver’s Ed, non-MIHS Theater, private music lessons, work, club sports, SAT prep and tutoring. We understand that Mercer Island Students have packed schedules, but participating on tennis team requires a full commitment.

What about Academic Conflicts?

Occasional school curriculum conflicts are excused, such as MIHS band, drama, DECA or a class trip. Major testing for SAT, ACT and AP are also valid excuses.

If you are unable to commit to a tennis team this year, we encourage you to continue to enjoy tennis recreationally and try out for a tennis team when your schedule allows it!

What Skills are Required to Make a Team?

Prior to 2018 tennis was a “no-cut” sport. However, depending on the number who tryout it is possible that there will be cuts. We do not provide tennis lessons for beginners. If you are still learning tennis, do not know how to serve or score we suggest you continue to work on your game. There are wonderful public tennis centers in our area that provide private and group lessons and court rental - Amy Yee Tennis Center in Seattle and Robinswood Tennis Center in Bellevue. There are 6 locations with free outdoor public courts on Mercer Island. There are also numerous private clubs and tennis academies in the area.

For your guidance, below is a description of the general skill level we see at each of our team levels:

JV2:

NTRP LEVEL: 2.0

This player needs on-court experience, with an emphasis on play. This player struggles to find an appropriate contact point, needs stroke development/lessons and is not yet familiar with basic positions for singles and doubles.

NTRP LEVEL: 2.5

This player is learning to judge where the ball is going when receiving the ball, although movement and recovery are not in sync. Can sustain a rally of slow pace with other players of similar ability and is beginning to develop strokes. This player is becoming more familiar with the basic positions for singles and doubles. This player is ready to play social matches, leagues and low-level tournaments.

Potential limitations: grip weaknesses; not attempting full swing on serve; inconsistent toss on serve; limited transitions to net.

JV1:

NTRP LEVEL: 3.0

This player is fairly consistent when hitting medium-paced shots, but is not comfortable with all strokes and lacks execution when trying for directional control, depth, pace or altering distance of shots. Most common doubles formation is one up, one back.

Potential limitations: consistency when applying or handling pace; difficulty handling shots “outside of their strike zone”; can be uncomfortable at the net.

NTRP LEVEL: 3.5

This player has achieved improved stroke dependability with directional control on moderate shots, but still lacks depth, variety and the ability to alter distance of shots. The effective use of lobs, overheads, approach shots, and volleys is limited due to a lack of confidence. This player is more comfortable at the net, has improved court awareness, and is developing teamwork in doubles.

Potential limitations or strengths: “This is the level at which it begins to be about what skills a player can display on court, not what they can’t.” Players at this level may start to utilize mental skills related to concentration, tactics and strategy.

Varsity:

NTRP LEVEL: 4.0

This player has dependable strokes, including directional control, depth and the ability to alter distance of shots on both forehand and backhand sides during moderately paced play, plus the ability to use lobs, overheads, approach shots, and volleys with more success. This player occasionally forces errors when serving. Rallies may be lost due to impatience. Teamwork in doubles is evident.

Potential strengths: less likely to beat themselves; more dependable second serve; recognizes opportunities to finish points.

Varsity Post-Season Qualifier

NTRP LEVEL: 4.5

This player has begun to vary the use of pace and spins, has good movement, can control distance and depth of shots, and is beginning to develop game plans according to strengths and weaknesses. This player can hit the first serve with power and accuracy and can place the second serve. This player tends to overhit on difficult shots. Aggressive net play is common in doubles.

Potential strengths: points are won and lost off the serve more often; better able to cover weaknesses; beginning to develop a weapon around which their game can be built.

State Champion

NTRP LEVEL: 5.0

This player has good shot anticipation and frequently has an outstanding shot or attribute around which their game can be structured. This player has the confidence to regularly hit winners or force errors off of short balls and can put away volleys, can successfully execute lobs, drop shots, half volleys, overheads, and has good depth and spin on most second serves.

Potential strengths: better decision making; covers and disguises weaknesses well; mentally tougher, but can still break down in stress situations.

Congratulations to those that have made the teams.

We have a great match schedule for all teams and look forward to getting the season underway. Teams will be fluid during the season and may change as players develop their skills. You may be invited to practice and/or play in a match with a higher team. Bring a good work ethic to the courts every day and your efforts will yield results!

For a match schedule preview go to: http://www.kingcoathletics.com/index.php?pid=0.7.90.18.321. Click on your individual team schedule.

MIHS Sports schedules can be found on the KingCo Conference website: www.kingcoathletics.com

Once on www.kingcoahletics.com

Click on the MI Logo for the list of available sports

Click on Girls Tennis

Once on the MI Girls Tennis home page, click the "Schedules" link

Choose the squad

That team's schedule comes up

On the specific team's schedule page, you can print the schedule.

Back on the KingCoAthletics home page, you can click "Subscribe" to register for email notifications of schedule changes. If you don't sign up for email updates, you will need to check back to the site regularly to note changes.

CHAMPIONSHIPS
STATE CHAMPS 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1991 1991 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
STATE RUNNER-UP 1993
KINGCO CHAMPS 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

MIHS Hall of Fame Members
1978 Leslie Tobin
1980 Terri Agee
1982 Lori Brillhart
1982 Erin Majury
1985 Mindy Mounger
1985 Wendy Gross
1987 Cindy Olejar
1988 Shelley Keeler
1989 Liz Allen
1989 April Appel
1993 Erin Gowen
1998 Allison Rindlaub
1999 Katie Cunha
2001 Lindsey Adams
2004 Stephanie Hammond
1991-2009 Joyce Hedlund (Coach)

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Tennis - Girls

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