As he stands behind the line, he says a quick prayer and throws the ball in the air. He serves the first point of the match, hoping that his opponent will not be able to return it.  

Senior Bryson Bailey has spent the past four years improving his tennis skills by attending practice after practice and putting forth his best effort. Over his years, his time on the tennis courts has been occupied by conditioning, stretching, and praying over his matches.  

“I started playing [four years ago] because I wanted to try something new,” Bailey said.  

Since then, he has grown to love the sport and the people who have coached and mentored him. 

“My coaches have made me a better person by encouraging me to do my best no matter what,” Bailey said.  

Bailey enjoys tennis due to the aspect of it that is different than other sports.  

“[What I love the most about tennis is] the feeling of being more independent instead of like a whole team,” Bailey said.  

He plays singles and depends on his own skillset rather than the skills that are exhibited by the rest of the team. 

The boy’s tennis team practices Monday through Thursday, and Bailey makes sure to attend all these practices, along with adding in his own individual practices.  

“My regular practice is just doing stretches, conditioning, hitting, and having fun overall,” Bailey said.  

With matches usually twice a week, it is important that he gets in as much practice as possible. On match days, Bailey prioritizes his match and makes sure to be completely ready for it. 

“I prepare for my matches by just staying calm and warming up with my teammates, and right before my match, I always say a quick prayer,” Bailey said.  

If Bailey can accomplish his goals for this year, he can to make it to state.  

“My hopes for the season are to do my best and come away with the most wins I can,” Bailey said.  

With this being his senior season, it is important for Bailey to make it to State. This will be his final season playing tennis for Sequoyah, so it is bittersweet to be able to look at all of his goals he achieved over his years here.  

“My biggest accomplishment [is] going to State and doing really good,” Bailey said.