Fredericksburg High School is full of sports teams, full of team spirit, but no one quite defines “family” like the tennis team does.

One tennis team star is senior Olivia Alvarez. She puts in extra time and effort to keep the team together and to show support for everyone evenly.

“Varsity tennis has grown immensely as a family these past few months,” Alvarez said. “Besides winning and losing together we really became a family after countless hours spent on and off the court together. We became a family after we shared tears of joy, frustration, and sadness.”

Anyone who has been through the rollercoaster of experiences competing with the tennis team knows how much the bond between players matters. Every bond makes a difference on the team and some can lead to lifelong friendships.

“As they did for me, I offered a shoulder to cry on and a friend to always come to in need,” Alvarez said. “Eventually we all began to do this for each other and truly became one family.”

Another varsity tennis player at FHS is sophomore Reid Nevins. He continues to show extra effort everyday not only by making the team and court a better place but making the tennis team a family as a whole.

“There’s never really a bad day with the team,” Nevins said. “The players and coaches make tennis every day something to look forward to. There’s never really a bad day with the team. The tennis team is more than just a team to me”

Varsity tennis would not be the same without senior Grayson Halford. He was awarded the “Battlin’ Billie” award last year for his kind heart and even kinder actions. He makes sure everyone is okay and that everything runs smoothly on the tennis team.

“The tennis team this year has really felt like a family to me because instead of worrying about drama, we all love each other,” Halford said. “I love team sports because you get to bond and get close to everyone that is on that team. From there you can really see the true power that a whole team (unit) can have.”