Sophomore Bianka Albert recently advanced to regionals after winning the district tournament for tennis. After 12 years of not having a female player make it to states, spirits were high even after a loss.

“It was such a happy moment for me to win at districts, it was my first season as the line one player and I completely didn’t expect it,” Albert said. “I hope to go again next year.”

Albert’s coach Les Forester, said he attributes Albert’s success to her all-out effort.

“She fought hard but lost to a highly ranked player,” Forester said. “It is quite an honor just to earn a spot in regionals. All participants are among the best in the state. I was extremely proud of Bianka winning line one singles as her opponent in the final match of the local single elimination tournament was very talented and never gave up.” 

Forester said he would take no credit for Albert’s success.

“I cannot accept any credit for Bianka’s progress this year for two reasons,” he said. “One, she takes lessons and clinics from professional instructors. Second, and most important, Bianka deserves credit for her progress due to her own drive to improve.” 

Albert’s mom, Andrea Albert, said she is proud of her daughter regardless of the results. 

“[Bianka] has been practicing for years and never gave up,” Andrea Albert said. “Her consistent practicing and mentality throughout the season enabled her performance. I was especially proud when I saw her not only advance to the finals in districts, but then to go on to win it and become the district champion. It was such an enormous step forward for her in tennis.”

According to her mom, Albert has unwavering willingness to put in maximum effort for every point.

“I was just proud of her throughout the season to be able to balance her workload in school and maintain her grades while also keeping up with practices,” Andrea Albert said. “The best advice I can give her for her future is to continue working hard towards her goals, as the effort will pay off in the end.” 

Bianka said she is excited to see the team’s improvement through next year.

“The way we played at districts really motivated a lot of the players on our team and I think next season that we’ll be working even harder and do better at districts as well,” Bianka Albert said. “I think everyone saw that the majority of the matches were a close call and with a bit more work we could make it to regionals next year as a team.”