Solon High School’s boys tennis team has been preparing for months to hopefully advance to states, and the team’s practice is finally being put to the test. Solon is on a winning streak,  having emerged victorious against Westlake, Hawken, Elyria, Hudson, Medina, Avon Lake, Shaker Heights, Mentor, Copley, Brecksville and Brunswick.

“I don’t think it will be easy because we have so much competition, but I think if we practice and play our games with strength then we might have a really nice chance of winning and hopefully excelling to states,” said junior Luke Qin, a varsity tennis player at SHS who’s been playing the sport for ten years. “We have a pretty well defined roster this year, and hopefully we are going to come in even stronger this year than last.”

Qin said he thinks that a strong bond between teammates will help the players unite and play better.

“We don’t only care about winning, a lot of it is also bonding with each other, and with that we are able to pump each other up and try to make it a game of spirit,” Qin said.

Kavi Jain, SHS junior and varsity tennis player, agrees that because of their close relationship as a team, they are able to play together and think alike.

“Outside of tennis, we all have a pretty good relationship with each other and that brings us closer on the court, and hopefully increases the chances of us winning,” Jain said. “Solon also puts in so many more hours of practice outside of the regular team meetings, and I think that might give us more of a competitive edge.”

The SHS varsity team will face off against St. Ignatius and Massilon Jackson this week, and the team said it hopes to make it to the championships in the Greater Cleveland Conference and afterwards go to states.

“I think that the team might go to states, but we also have a chance to individually go to states,” Qin said.

To individually go to states, members of the team compete with players from different districts and sections.  Brackets are constructed to see which players are on top. Those individuals will be sent to compete in the state competition against individuals from different schools around Ohio.

“We are eighth in the state of Ohio,” said Jim Elwing, the SHS tennis coach. “I think that we have really worked on becoming more aggressive, and tried to work on making less errors when we’re on the court. These boys teach themselves self discipline, and I am very proud of them. A couple of our players are very smart and knowledgeable, and we have actually gained players who have experience from last year, so I think Solon is very powerful and has a good chance of moving forwards.”

Note: SHS varsity tennis team member and J1 Student Jake Novack had no involvement in the production or editing of this story.