The Chaparrals men’s Tennis team continued their hot streak last Friday domineering Oakton Community College with a tally of seven games to two. They have remained undefeated since the beginning of the season, maintaining a record of 9-0, and are set to face off against the only opposing team with a duplicate record, Prairie State, on April 25.

After which, matches will take place against Sauk Valley on April 26, and then the team will compete in the regional tournaments at Harper College that loom less than a week away. This is an incredibly exciting time for the team and Jim Bowers, the men’s and women’s head coach, who had nothing but glowing optimism to offer.

“This has been one of our most successful seasons to date, and it would have been even better if it weren’t for injuries” Said Bowers. “It’s really alright though. We’re undefeated, and we aim to keep it that way, if we can.We’re going to continue to work really hard to try to earn a spot in nationals in Plano, Texas. Our goal is to qualify for the national tournament by placing in the top three of the region. We know it’s not going to be easy since we are the only team in our region who doesn’t offer scholarships, so playing against student-athletes who are being paid to attend their schools is always a daunting task, but the COD players always come in with great attitudes and compete as hard as they can against whoever they play,” Said Bowers.

“We’ve really been putting in the effort, but there’s always more that you can do,” commented Danny, a member of the team’s roster, and the victim of the aforementioned leg injury. “Strong serves, backhands and groundstrokes are commonplace on the team, but we could always be putting in more work off the court. General conditioning and weight lifting can really make a difference in your game, and getting in as much actual match time as you can. There’s a big difference between match play and just hitting the ball around. Also if you’re born with a lot of twitch muscle fibers, that’s a huge plus. That, and not getting injured, of course.”