Senior Tanner Hosick started playing tennis at Bellevue West his freshman year and hasn’t stopped since, eventually placing at state in his sophomore year and every subsequent year.
Hosick and his partner Tanner Adams are the #8 seed at the NSAA state tennis tournament which started on Oct. 12. At the time of publication, the team advanced to the next round after defeating Fremont.
Hosick said he has a tight bond and connection with Adams, though he isn’t the only person he has a connection with.
“I think everybody on the team really enjoys having Tanner as a teammate,” assistant coach Matthew Lauritsen said. “He has a really good humility about him.”
Tennis isn’t just about individual players either; it’s also about the team. The team often holds team dinners and does team exercises during practice.
“My favorite part is probably the team dinners,” Hosick said. “Just going out, having a good time with all my friends and stuff.”
All of this is done for the sake of being a better team, as well as playing games help to improve everyone’s skills at tennis.
“It’s a game called Spiders and Snakes where there’s two people at the net, then one person tries to hit the ball as hard as [they] can at those people,” said Hosick.
Lauritsen said Hosick has several strengths that contribute to his success.
“I think Tanner’s best quality in doubles is he has incredible anticipation,” Lauritsen said. “It just sometimes makes you just stand there for a little bit in amazement of how he got that ball back, just as his anticipation and his quick hands make up for just a lot of stuff.”
Hosick said he and Adams “help each other out when we’re down.”
“So we always just tell each other ‘Hey, pick your head up’,” Hosick said. “Next play you know, next point, you know, just keep being you, keep hitting the ball hard, and things will work out our way.”
