By Harshit Bhatt ’28
Tennis at Conestoga Valley doesn’t come with packed bleachers or Friday night lights. From the outside, it’s easy to dismiss it as low-energy or low-stakes. The players see it differently.
“There are some elite-level players and exciting matches that people tend to overlook,” said junior Rafael Massey. “People think it’s a mediocre sport reserved for a few, but in reality it’s for everyone to enjoy.”
That gap between perception and reality has defined much of CV’s season. Behind the quieter setting is a team dealing with pressure, momentum swings, and matches that come down to a handful of points.
One of the clearest examples came during a high-stakes away match against Donegal. For Massey, it was a turning point.
“It was high competition in both singles and doubles,” he said. “There were doubts as to whether we’d come out on top, but we pushed through and got the crucial win after some very intensive matches.”
Sophomore Jude Sanger experienced the same matchup differently. What looked like an easy win quickly slipped away.
“My partner and I were doing pretty well at first,” Sanger said. “We thought it would be easy, but we ended up losing because of sloppy mistakes. It was tough to reset.”
That contrast captures something important about this team. Matches aren’t just physical. They’re mental battles, often decided by how players respond after things start going wrong.
Both players described similar strategies for handling those moments. Massey leans on perspective.
“Negative energy is wasted energy,” he said, recalling advice from Roger Federer. “Becoming a master of overcoming hard moments is a sign of a true champion.”
Sanger keeps it simpler.
“I just ‘flush away’ the mistake,” he said. “Losing that point doesn’t change what I can bring to the next one.”
That mindset shows up in how the team approaches matches overall. Even players pointed to energy and attitude as factors that can shift outcomes. Massey highlighted captain CJ Nugent’s leadership, while Sanger pointed back to Massey himself as someone who raises the team’s intensity.
“I would want people to notice that we support each other no matter what,” Sanger said. “We never give up on a match.”
Still, the season isn’t being framed as a feel-good story. The team has clear, measurable goals. Massey is aiming for a winning record and a shot at districts, while also pushing for a top-two section finish to reach the LL team tournament.
Those goals come with constraints. Many players are balancing demanding academic schedules alongside daily practices and matches.
“As an AP/Honors student, it is difficult,” Massey said. “I just prioritize my time and communicate with my teachers.”
Sanger echoed that reality more bluntly: “I just lock in on my work when I get home.”
If there’s a throughline across the roster, it’s not dominance. It’s progression. Sanger, who switched from lacrosse, framed his season less around wins and more around development.
“My goal is to reach a level where I can compete with varsity players and extend points and games,” he said.
That kind of incremental focus might not grab attention, but it reflects how the team actually operates. Improvement over time. Composure under pressure. Competing even when the odds aren’t in their favor.
Massey summed it up directly: “We may not be the best team, but we strive to be better on and off the court, even when everything is against us.”
It’s not the loudest sport at CV. But it might be one of the most demanding.