Senior Elyssa Gorospe looks back at her season with nostalgic eyes recalling how proud she was when her team made it all the way to the second round of playoffs.

“We showed a lot of improvement. The girls worked hard. It was a lot of fun,” Gorospe, who is the design editor on Prestige Yearbook said. “It was also the coaches third year and the first time the girls’ team made it to playoffs with him coaching.”

The Birmingham Community Charter High School girls tennis team ended their season on a strong note. As a whole, the girls defeated John F. Kennedy High School, Chatsworth High School and Eagle Rock High School.

“It feels great to win because everyone is so proud of each other. It goes to show dedication and hard work pay off,”  Gorospe said. “When we lose we shrug it off, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter because we know we tried and we just love playing the game.”

As the captain, Gorospe could already see the potential her team had in making it to playoffs after their first couple of wins. After not winning last year, the team was still optimistic about the upcoming season.

Practice consisted of a series of drills which include practicing forehands, backhands, volleys and serves. There would also be scrimmages within the team and the girls would have to do suicides, a work out where the athletes would run across the court and pushups.

“I would probably make the workouts a bit more challenging,” Gorospe said. “I feel we could’ve implemented more conditioning in the workouts.”

As team captain, Gorospe had to be wary of the team. She knows when to take control and be responsible when it comes down to it. On more than one occasion, Gorospe has helped plan out drills for practice.

“I bring positivity and excitement,” Gorospe said. “I bring advice and support during games and practices.”

As Gorospe nears the end of her senior year, she is hopeful for the tennis team’s future seasons. Next year, new players and a different coach will join the team, but Gorospe has nothing but positive words for the next season.

“I hope they keep up the good work and remember winning isn’t everything. I also hope they practice well, learn new strategies and make it to playoffs even with the different coach,” Gorospe said.