ZANESVILLE — Jeff Moody’s passion for tennis drew him to Zanesville.
But he faced a daunting task seven years ago, when the women’s tennis team had just one returning player when he became head coach.
Thanks to the perseverance of Moody and assistant coach Eric Baldwin, who is the middle school’s physical education teacher, the program grew to 22 players this season.
Last year’s total of 12 has nearly doubled, and this year’s team includes a combined total of 15 sophomores and freshmen.
Zanesville opens the Division II tournament Monday and Tuesday at Dover.
“It’s been a long, hard process, and Coach Baldwin has really helped me develop this program,” Moody said. “Eric and I teach tennis in gym classes one week in the fall and one week in the spring. We’ve encouraged players to come and tried to make it an enjoyable experience for them.”
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Most of the players in the program had never played tennis before joining the team. Senior Blair Lowe had never thought about it until she got encouragement from Baldwin in gym class.
“I wasn’t interested in sports. Mr. Baldwin had us play in the gym and told me I should try it,” Lowe said. “It was really fun and good exercise. The coaches created a positive atmosphere. They never talk negatively and they try to help us improve.”
Involvement in the sport attracted seniors Chloe Buchanan and Makayla Sammons. Buchanan started playing as a freshman and asked her best friend, Sammons, to join the team as a sophomore.
“I had never played before, but I wanted to try something that was both athletic and a team sport,” Buchanan recalled. “I eventually got interested in it. The coaches have been very positive and good to me and the team. I have great teammates and it’s fun to be a part of this group.”
“I was done with cheerleading and Chloe encouraged me to give it a try. I wanted to try something else athletically anyway,” Sammons said. “I ended up enjoying it and it’s a fun sport. It’s great to see more interest in the sport and to see the team improve.”
Having the only girls tennis program in the area is what drew freshman Bella Jarrett and her sister Sara, a junior, to Zanesville. Bella said watching their parents play on the Scarborough indoor tennis courts in Columbus gave them an interest in the sport, which they also enjoyed watching on television.
“We went to Sheridan, but we wanted to play tennis, so we transferred to Zanesville,” Bella said. “This summer, we played our first matches with the team and everyone accepted us. No one discourages anyone; we all want to help each other and support each other. It’s helped us grow and made us more united.”
The future of the program is promising
In addition to the increased enrollment, Moody is devoting more time to the program. Last summer, Zanesville competed in a USTA team tennis tournament against players from Newark, Lancaster and Granville. The boys and girls programs also travel to Columbus to use Scarborough’s indoor courts.
The program received help from area businesses, such as Lowe’s, which provided supplies for a hitting wall that was built on one of the fields for players to practice on.
Several people also helped the program with donations, Moody noted, including the late Dr. John P. Hibler, who is honored with a banner on the high school grounds.
Moody also hopes to start a training program for the middle school team. While he works on that, he has ways to keep his current high school players involved. He encourages opposing teams to bring more players to junior varsity games and has designed an intra-squad tournament with prizes.
“We’re asking other teams to sign extra players if they can, and the sport is growing in our league, which helps,” Moody said. “We’re trying to get our kids to compete and play against each other so they can continue to get better. We want to keep them involved so our numbers stay close to where they are.”
Jarrett is one of the recruits Zanesville can build around. She has consistently been one of the top singles players on the varsity team, while her sister has played doubles.
“Coach Moody is positive and helps us work through problems, and Coach Baldwin uses tennis to help us in life outside of sports,” she said. “They focus on the right things and want to make us better. They made this experience a great one.”
Seeing the program flourish gives outgoing seniors like Buchanan and Lowe pride. They started when the program was in single digits as freshmen, so seeing it reach 20 is incredible. They also hope to continue playing the sport after graduation.
“I’d like to play as long as I can. It’s a game you can play for a long time,” Buchanan said. “We remember what it was like when we started. We reassure and encourage the young players. It took us a while to learn the game, but it was worth it.”
In addition to playing the sport, Lowe added, the girls will also cherish the friendships they have built.
“We have great chemistry and we love to compete. We support each other,” she said. “It’s exciting to see the new girls come in and bond with everyone. We hope they continue that even after we’re gone.”
[email protected]; X: @brandonhannahs
This article was originally published in the Zanesville Times Recorder: Numbers game: Increase in players has Zanesville girls tennis team excited about the future
