Pictured above from left to right are Inna Diawara, Kaitlin Summers, McKenna Norris, Teagan Russell, Alexis Hammond, Anthony Filigenzi, Stephanie Romanoski, Christina Thomas, Morgan Loggins, Hyeji Bang, Audrey Chrisman, Jacky DeLeon, Elizabeth Lowman, Savannah Shropshire, Haley Smallwood, Abby Magee, Mily Vidal, Liza Williams, Archer Marlow, Joey Kelley, Justin Blanchard, Wilder Dodson, Ethan Brady, Anhaar Ajaz, Andrew Brady, Mikolaj Jakowski, Jina Jiang, Brigitte Turner, Levi Parish, and Rose Farahi. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge High School Wildcat and Lady Wildcat tennis teams braved a recent 37-degree wind chill to start their 2018 season. They will host 12 home matches this spring on the public courts located Oak Ridge High School at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike, across from the Oak Ridge Civic Center.

The 14 Wildcats and 26 Lady Wildcats worked hard to prepare for their first match this past Monday (February 26) with Grace Christian Academy, a press release said. The team had its annual pancake breakfast fundraiser at Aubrey‘s on South Illinois Avenue on Saturday, February 24. Funds raised during the breakfast will be used for items like the new storage shed located at the courts and ball machines purchased by the Tennis Booster Club.

“This equipment has provided quality teaching tools sorely needed to help a large number of players hone their skills and compete successfully on the courts,” said Coach Joanne Bowman. The ball machines have given students the opportunity to hit thousands of balls during the season, helping advanced and novice players build confidence in their ball striking skills, Bowman said.

You can see the season schedule below. All are home matches except for Halls and Powell. [Read more…]