The Hallettsville JV tennis team went to their first tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in Yoakum, and the Varsity went on Feb. 5. Hallettsville got a new tennis coach for the fourth year in a row. Coach Case Thigpen is a Hallettsville High School graduate and expresses how he keeps practices fun and what he looks for in athletes.
“One thing I would like all athletes to learn is mental toughness, so they will have that trait the rest of their lives. Sports teach many life lessons and in my opinion, this is among the top of them. I coach my student athletes to never quit and to keep fighting no matter the score or situation,” Thigpen said. “Practice should be a place that athletes want to go. Keeping it fun and productive is a tough balance, but I try to add little segments into practice that are beneficial as well as fun for the athletes. Students play sports because they enjoy them and practice should also be a place where they can improve on their skills and enjoy doing so.”
Freshman Raley Bludau is in her first year on the high school tennis team. She plays with her partner, sophomore Addison Drozd. She talks about her first tournament and how she’ll improve.
“I think our first tournament went well; we can improve by talking more,” Bluadu said. “I plan on practicing with my teammate at my own house.”
Junior Natalie Sandelovic is in her third year as a tennis player, specializing in singles. She talks about how she gets better and how her first tournament of 2026 went.
“Some advice I would give to a new tennis player that has helped me in my high school career is to not focus on mistakes too much and just do the best you can, and the games will start working out,” Sandelovic said. “I think the tournament went good but I need to work on consistency with my hits, but this will come with practice.
Freshman Rhea Kirkman is a new tennis player who started on the day of the first practice. Rhea competes with her partner, sophomore Jason Newhouse, in mixed doubles.
“I want to get better at my skills since it’s my first year,” Kirkman said. “I feel good since we got third place but there is still a lot I need to work on.”
Fellow sophomore Addison Drozd is playing with Raley Bludau and talks about her tennis dreams and how she’ll get better.
“I hope to get first at a tournament,” Drozd said. “I plan on practicing a lot with my partner; we need to work on communication.”
The Hallettsville tennis season has just started, so come out and support these boys and girls. Their next tournament will be on Feb. 18 for Varsity and Feb. 19 for JV.
