Coming off of a two-game losing streak, the girls varsity tennis team had the chance to redeem itself against one of the conference’s top teams in East Grand Rapids. The Pioneers’ entrance into the OK White for the 2021 season has presented the Rangers with a considerable challenge.

Regardless, FHC saw its high-performing players step up to the task. Both junior Libby Moog and senior Emily Johnson escaped with single wins, likewise to a doubles victory from freshmen Lucy Wu and sophomore Ella Hunnewell. Despite this, the Rangers could not pull away in several close matches and ultimately lost by a score of 5-3.

Characteristic of its past few games, the team saw many chances to come away with a win over EGR. However, mistake-free tennis from the Pioneers created an extremely small window of opportunity. Junior Leila Gonzalez and senior Maddie Knoor, along with singles player Veronica Vincent came extremely close to triumph; nevertheless, they dropped both of these matches to secure EGR’s victory. FHC’s three wins on the day marked exceptional promise, but the inability to finish the job is something that is likely to be corrected down the road.

“We see improvement on a daily basis,” coach Jeremy Moog said following the match. “We have girls that are developing more consistency, and we have girls that are developing better weapons. This is a direct result of their hard work combined with the grueling schedule that we play.”

The swapping of Libby and Emily at the position of second and third singles creates a significant amount of depth for FHC. With interchangeable talents, it induces a matchup issue for nearly any opponent that the team faces. With Libby’s performance at her newly-marked second singles spot, Emily followed up with a win of her own. With freshman phenom Lily Ohlman leading the way at first singles, the Rangers’ talent in this category cannot be understated.

“After all of the work over the years that I have dedicated to this sport, I am able to continue the battle every day against my opponents,” Libby said when asked about her continuity of success. “I try and put myself in the best possible position by putting in the hours that I can to improve as much as possible.”

Coming up, FHC has a much-deserved weekend off. However, the Lady Rangers slide back into action on Tuesday, May 4, against the Northview Wildcats. The match will take place at 4:15 on the Northview High School courts.