After an unfortunate loss in the sectional final last year, the Bloomington South tennis team is off to a much stronger 7-1 start this season.

Many of the players on the team look to make big strides in their play this fall. Sophomore Giovanni Lopes said, “I really want to improve my forehand and I’ve had lots of recent stagnation so I’m excited to kick start that again.” Lopes was also voted to have the most “on-court drip” by his teammate Chris Lian.

Senior tennis player Lian expects big things from the team this season.” We have a chance to win state this year,” said Lian. While the Panthers do have a strong senior group, the addition of many promising Freshmen will also be key to their deep state run. Lian also believes that the freshman will “play a big part” in their plans of making state. 

The team is currently on a 4 game win streak and racking up some impressive feats. After beating 13th ranked Floyd Central, South moved up nine spots, going from 20th to 11th in the state. The South team has a win against Bedford, Columbus East, Floyd Central, Noblesville, Terre Haute North, Southport, and Terra Haute South with their only loss being against 4-time reigning state champions, Carmel. 

After getting off to a strong start, senior Michael Asplund is a real contender this year. Asplund’s recent wins have included an impressive victory over the defending state champ while battling cramps for much of the match. This recent run of form bodes well for the rest of the season, with Asplund definitely being one to watch.

Even though he was only a sophomore, Lopes was saddened at the passing of well-known tennis coach Scott “Bones” Greer, who passed away only a few weeks ago. Coach Greer was a legendary member of the tennis community in Bloomington, having coached at both Bloomington South and Indiana University, his kind heart and passion for the sport left a positive impact on everyone he met. Lopes was “heartbroken” by the news of the loss,  as Bones created an incredible impact on tennis players far and wide.  The coach was 86, but still found time to do what he loved and continued to teach and spread his love for tennis. 

The next South tennis match is against crosstown rival Bloomington North at 5:30 on Tuesday, September 6th.