​Fourths Girls Tennis

By Sunshine Li ’26

“What even is Fourths Girls’ Tennis? Doesn’t it stop at Thirds?” That is exactly what I asked my dear friend, Ava O’Connell ’26, when she suggested that we should join the newly-launched Fourths team of Westminster’s popular tennis program. Led by one of our lovely college counselors, Ms. Hacker, this program has been successful, to say the least. Two weeks into the season, here’s what Fourths Girls’ Tennis is looking like and what we look forward to for the rest of this year.
 
As a beginner team, we love to practice simple drills and play fun tennis games. Bouncing the tennis balls on our rackets, doing the lateral shuffle, playing modified Four Square, and practicing short court are just a few examples of what helps us learn to control the ball and quicken our reaction times. These are supplemented with tennis games we all know and love like Queen of the Court, which we play every practice. Of course, we also watch tutorial videos and match highlights to see how the sport is played at the highest level. During rainy days, our team shifts indoors, whether that means eating lunch together in Adams or sitting in Baxter to talk about our goals for the season.
 
Looking forward, we anticipate matches with Thirds, watching JV and Varsity home games on Wednesdays, and, of course, getting a little bit better at tennis every day. Thanks to the establishment of Fourths tennis this year, I and many others have the opportunity to try a new sport this spring term. While I am overjoyed to say that I can actually rally back and forth a few times now, what’s more, is that I have found a warm, welcoming, and wonderful team in Fourths Girls’ Tennis.