Through positivity and skill, captain Nellie Larson helped her team all the way to the Section 4A semi-finals, where they lost to the first-seeded Breck Mustangs. Without letting this loss get to her head, she played a tough bracket to get to the section finals for individual singles. With classmates coming out to support her, she managed to land second place in her section and qualified for state.

Not being able to do her best over sections, due to being sick and having to spend a lot of time catching up on school work, she hoped to do even better at state. Shouldering the responsibility of being the 3rd seed in the state, she was predicted to get at least to the semi-finals. “Ideally, I’ll get to the semis and hopefully finals,” Larson said.

Since her team’s season ended, she has been grinding at practice without getting complacent. Having to face someone she previously lost to in conference matches has been motivating her to push herself in the short timespan.

The state tournament was held at Inner City Tennis on Oct. 24, and the indoor conditions were just what Larson was looking for. “I have played on the courts before, I like it there, especially because it is indoors, I think it’ll help me play better,” she said.

Reflecting on her section matches, Larson aimed for consistency: “I was sick, so I was just trying to be super consistent. I was telling myself just don’t miss,” Larson said.

She managed to turn being sick into a blessing. This consistency was the perfect counter to most of her opponents up until the finals. “If I got into a 10-15 ball rally, they would make a mistake because they’d get impatient,” Larson said.

Normally, Larson focuses on being more aggressive and likes to maintain a quick tempo, but the consistent mindset held her back from hitting stronger first serves, and as a result, spared her more misses.

Catching up on school work as a student athlete, even when one of the biggest tennis tournaments is going on during the school day, the teachers and classmates are what have been keeping her going. “My teachers have been really supportive, and my friends will be there to support me,” Larson said.

After a tough and extremely close loss in the state semifinals, Larson managed to turn the tide and win an even closer match to win 3rd place at the girls’ individual singles state championship. Just as she was seeded.