The Manhattan girls’ tennis team hosted their first home meet of the season on Sept. 16, where they went 8-4, only losing four matches in total. Keylee Schartz and doubles partner Jackie Hsu, both seniors, only lost one match. Hsu and Schartz have been an unstoppable duo this season.

“Jackie and I performed pretty well in our first two matches,” Schartz said.

Despite their success, overall the team was not as well prepared for Washburn Rural as they hoped. Manhattan and Washburn have always been close competitors, and this time Washburn took the top record, going 10-2 during the meet, being the only team Hsu and Schartz lost against.

“I don’t think we were quite as ready for Washburn as we hoped,” Schartz said. “Washburn are our rivals.”

Manhattan is a competitive team and can take on many diverse teams. However, the team could work on having confidence and playing at their own level. Confidence in tennis is one of the biggest factors, reflecting your performance on the court.

“Having more confidence in our game, even when playing slower schools we try to meet their level,” Schartz said. “If we all play at our personal top level, then we see much more success.” 

Staying mentally strong is also important during matches, and there are many strategies to do so.

“A lot of self-talk, you have to keep yourself mentally engaged,” Schartz said. “One negative thought and you’re going down hill.”

Home meets are special because they represent Manhattan. The team plays a limited number of times on home turf. 

“Home meets feel like I have more control,” Schartz said. “I like being on our home turf.”

Manhattan played at home again on Monday and on Tuesday at the Washburn Rural Invitational.