Rebecca Christopher, sophomore, plays her heart out fighting for each point. Christopher battled for the second seed on the KHS girls team, but still wants more.

Christopher said she is having to adjust with competitiveness in varsity. She took time during the off-season to play games helping her settle into the new competition varsity brings.

“I have spent a lot of time just playing games, trying to make less unfocused errors [stay focused].” Christopher said. “Mentally I have been a bit lackluster but recently have been trying to hone it in.” 

Christopher said being on varsity this year makes the mental game critical and may be the deciding factor in most of her games. Sophia Bellm, senior, is entering her final year of racquetball and has visions of success.

“One goal is to get better at playing singles [matches], playing a lot of doubles [matches] all last season can throw off your game a bit, ” Bellm said. “I want to learn [singles matches] this year and hopefully wins will come out of it.”

Bellm has taken the opportunity to play higher seeded girls hoping to help adjust with a more competitive play. She also has tried to focus on the drill the coaches suggest to her.

“I feel like it will help switch up my game play in-case I need to adjust during a match,” Bellm said.

Recently the coaches have become much more involved which, Bellm said has impacted her greatly. Daniel Witt, head coach of racquetball, said he has high hopes although there are a few things they still need to work through.

Witt talked about the importance of feeling a part of a team and how it improves each athlete’s mentality. Witt said, a majority of the girls playing racquetball also play tennis in the fall creating a unity between the two teams.

“When you feel supported, you’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for your team,” Witt said. “Being motivated that you’re playing for a team sometimes can be the difference.”