Most student athletes start young, but senior Ly Pham did not.

Pham was one of several new players who joined tennis with little to no formal experience.

“This is my first year playing tennis for Pius, but not my first-time playing tennis,” Pham said.

Pham has played tennis for years in the summer before wanting to take it to the team.

“Senior year came by and thought why not,” Pham said. “It would be nice if I made it and if I didn’t that’s okay.”

Ly stated that originally, she had not made the cut but due to someone dropping, she found a place with the team.

“Coming in I felt like I wasn’t the best, but playing with people younger than me reminded me that it was a learning curve and not anything to fret about,” Pham said.

Along with Pham, there were four new rookie players who joined this season, freshmen Matilda Hayes, Jenna Spiegel, Kelcee Kumkee and Brynn Hart.

While each of them had a different reason for joining, they all were newcomers to the team.

“I wanted to try a new sport and saw tennis tryouts coming up,” Spiegel said.

With the end of the season, players looked back and saw the growth they had made.

“It’s cool to see how much I’ve grown and think that I played in matches,” Hayes said. “Our coach Mr. D was very welcoming and always there with constructive criticism.”