Not only is it Anne Besek’s first year of head coach of the Cotter Girls’ Tennis team, but it is also her first year as head coach of any sport.

However, she is receiving help from her assistant coach, Erin Getzin, a Winona State freshman who was on last year’s team. Together, they hope to lead the girls’ tennis team to a successful season that improves on their 9-9 record of last year.

What exactly constitutes a successful season?

“I believe the keys to a successful season this year is to work hard, have fun with each other and be supportive,” Besek said. She acknowledges that there is a competitive side to the sport and that winning is definitely a goal, but says that ultimately a good season would finish with everyone learning something new and creating new friendships.

Speaking of friendships, the Cotter girls’ tennis team is “more like a family, not a team,” according to Cindy Li, a senior on the team. Older players take on the responsibility of taking care of the younger players, and everyone cheers on each other during the matches, says Li.

Hannah Graff, a freshman on the team, backs this up by saying that the main reason she returned to play this season is because “everyone [on the team] is so nice.”

Six varsity players graduated last year, so one of the challenges of this year has been rebuilding from that loss. However, there are a lot of new 7th graders on the team this year to make up for the lost spots.

Additionally, the tennis team has a lot of important returning players. These players include Cindy Li, Kylie Modjeski, Choco Li, Hannah Graff, Sophia Wang, Sarah Sun, and Sarah Zhu.

With a new head coach and many players who graduated last year, the Cotter girls’ tennis team is in a bit of a transition year, but with the help of the returning players and the sense of family that the players share, there is reason for optimism on this team.