Emma Hicks was beyond excited when she and her Lady Hub teammates learned the Rochelle Township High School tennis team would be allowed to compete this fall. With the team’s season-opener against Harlem less than one week away, Hicks will be looking to build on the improvements she made as a first-year varsity player this past season.

Hicks will be entering her third year with the Lady Hubs and her second on the varsity team. After beginning her freshman season on the JV team, Hicks moved up to varsity doubles as a sophomore, moving back and forth between Rochelle’s No. 2 and No. 3 doubles pairings. She said her serves and her forehand shots were her greatest improvements this past season, and she’ll be seeking to continue making strides throughout her junior season this fall.

“It feels really good to be back out here,” Hicks said. “I was really excited when we found out we could play tennis this year. I felt that I played pretty well last season. I thought my serves and my forehand shots definitely improved the most, and those were two areas I was really struggling earlier in the season. I want to keep getting better on my serves this year.”

Hicks is one of several upperclassmen returning to a Lady Hub varsity tennis team that will aim to build on a two-win season this past year. Doubles play was the key to success for Rochelle this past season, and the girls are confident they can carry their chemistry over to this season.

“I want to win a lot more matches this year,” Hicks said. “I want to be faster to the ball and I want to be quicker on my hits... We’re really close with each other and we get along really well. We help each other a lot and I think we’re going to have a really good season this year. We have a lot of things we can work on, but I think we have a really solid team overall.”