Swoosh! A fiery forehand flies past a dazed Wasatch player and hits the fence with a clang. Boom! A huge serve left the unsuspecting Wasatch player in the dust. Bang! A blazing approach shot soars through the air, setting up Timpview for a delicate touch volley to finish. The downhearted Wasatch player sighs and shrugs. Points like these were evidence of the overall tone of today’s matches.

When asked about their first impressions of the Timpview girls’ tennis team, Wasatch Junior Esmee Ovorton said, “When our teams met up before the matches started, they didn’t look like they were there to play tennis; they looked like they were there to kill.” The T-birds played no games during warm-ups, swiftly practicing all aspects of their game to prepare for the battle ahead, like gladiators preparing for the ring. A quick pep talk from head coach Nate Warner and a humble cheer topped off the team’s preparations. They were ready.

One word can describe the team’s performance today: cold-blooded. Whether it was through the powerful serves and suave volleys from the first doubles team, senior Jane Collins and sophomore Elizabeth Bednar, the shatterproof defense and supreme consistency by senior Kendall Woods, or through sophomore Addison Burt’s formidable forehand winners, the team showed that they’d dusted off the cobwebs, and were ready to make some noise.

Every team has its star player, and senior Hailey Miner showed that she is prepared to lead the T-birds to glory. Recently honored with a Scholar-Athlete award, Miner showed today that she’s never satisfied. Smoothly gliding across the court, Miner was a walking embodiment of the effortless grace that is found in tennis. Although her match was cut short due to a forfeit from her opponent, it showed us a little snippet of the dominance that she is expected to display in this upcoming season.

“The team is looking stronger than ever, and I think we’re ready to bring home a state title,” said Megan Austin, assistant coach of the Timpview girls tennis team. “We’ve had a lot of good players come back this year, and a lot of players who put in a ton of work during the off-season.” The girls pulled off an impressive win today over Wasatch, and they’ve shown that by the end of this season, heads will roll.