The tennis season is short, and the girls have been trying to make the best out of the time that they have together.

James Buchanan’s girls’ tennis team has been enduring a season filled with ups and downs. They have a record of eight wins and seven losses for this fall.

This year, the team has 14 girls, but only seven play Varsity. In high school tennis, there are five matches that are played each game, three singles players and two doubles teams, making up seven players that contribute to the points that the team acquires.

Out of these seven players, one has stood out amongst the rest.

Amber Clark, 11, has persevered, only losing one match throughout the entire season. She plays number three singles, and has been climbing her way to the top of the team since she was a freshman.

“I feel like I’m a lot more focused with Tennis than I used to be,” Clark states.

This increase in concentration has resulted in improvement, which has been a reoccurring theme in her tennis career. Going from junior varsity in ninth grade, to number two doubles her sophomore year, and she continues to prove her drive as number three singles.

In regards to comparing singles and doubles, Clark explains, “Obviously when you’re playing singles, everything’s on you, to get everything right. There is a little more pressure with not having someone there to help me. I kind of like the freedom a little bit more, being by myself, and being able to play the way I want to.”

The independence has given Clark a better year than she could have imagined.

No one was more surprised about Clark’s essentially undefeated season than her, “I really didn’t expect it. I thought getting into singles it would be a lot tougher than doubles, and it is, but I didn’t think I’d be more successful at singles than I was at doubles.”

Tennis has been a memorable experience for her, and she is very grateful for it.

Even though the season may be over, Clark and the other top seven are gearing up for Mid-Penn’s, which are quickly approaching. They will be Oct. 5, 6, and 9, and the girls will be facing off against other teams in their division, hoping to be the best.