Fiona ruled the court at a home match on September 16. Photo Creds: Charlie Stumb, Watauga Yearbook
Fiona Russell is a sophomore at Watauga High School and the fourth ranked tennis player on the Women’s Tennis Team this year. Although she is already ranked fourth on the team, Russell is new to being in the top 6 and all of the experiences and challenges that come with it, creating a completely new environment for Russell. While new environments and change are challenging for some, Russell has only lost 1 match out of the 18 played this year, sailing into the top 6 with flying colors.
The women’s head tennis coach, Ms. Boeschen, believes that Russell’s hard work and dedication is really what accelerated her growth in tennis and has led her to success this year.
“She works very hard. Even on the off days. I know she hits on the weekend, even when we don’t have practice,” said Boeschen. “This summer, when we had optional [practice], she was always at ‘optional’ and I know that she’s always going to hit elsewhere with other people too.”
Even during tough matches or off-days, Russell is always able to look at the bright-side of things, and do what needs to be done to win the match.
“When she’s challenged, she tries to find the positives with it,” continued Boeschen.
Russell is clearly an athlete always looking for chances to improve.
“I know that when we were playing Hibriten, she struggled for the first set,” Boeschen recounted. Prior to the Hibriten game, Russell hadn’t faced tough competition.
“But I came over, spoke with her for two seconds, and then she did what she needed to do to win the match,” said Boeschen.
Not only does Russell excel on the court, she shines in school.
“In the classroom, she’s very smart,” said Boeschen, her coach.
She believes Fiona's intelligence translates to the court, allowing her to make quick, calculated decisions.
“A lot of people just want to wack the ball, but she knows how to move the opponent correctly and just knows how to play the point,” Boeschen said.
“Playing in the top 6 this year has been more stressful than last year,” said Russell. “But it definitely has been a lot of fun and I’m glad that I’m in the top 6.”
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