MeLisa Young was preparing to enter her freshman year at Rochelle Township High School when she found out the Lady Hub tennis team was looking for new players.

Young happened to be neighbors with Rochelle head coach Lizzie Cartwright, who convinced her to take up tennis before the start of the 2018 season. Young grew up playing softball and she had no experience playing tennis, but after overcoming her initial worries, she said she’s had fun learning to play a new sport.

“Coach Cartwright came over one day and told me she was going to take me to tennis,” Young said. “I was nervous about playing tennis, but once I started playing I realized it was a lot of fun. I’ve become better friends with the girls on the team and it’s a more laid-back sport.”

The Lady Hubs lost several senior players the previous season, meaning the varsity team needed new players including Young to step up and play beyond their experience levels. Young started her freshman season at No. 2 doubles, and while Young wasn’t expecting to play varsity matches right away, she said the experience helped prepare her for this season.

“I was definitely excited about it but I was also nervous because I didn’t know how good the other girls were going to be since they were older than me,” Young said. “I thought my first year went well. My serves have improved a lot and I’ve been getting to the ball quicker.”

The Lady Hubs have been slowly building their varsity roster after finishing 1-13 in dual matches this past season and 2-13 overall this fall. Their success has come in doubles play, where the Lady Hubs swept both Rockford Lutheran and Belvidere to help Rochelle start the 2019 season with a 2-0 record. Young has moved up to No. 1 doubles as a sophomore this fall, and she’s been an integral part of the team’s doubles success, winning five matches as a No. 1 player.

“I feel like we’ve played pretty well and we’ve definitely improved from last year,” Young said. “We’re serving the ball better and our serves are a lot harder now. Our hits are more consistent and they’re staying in more often… The girls I’ve played this year are better than they were last year and there’s been more competition.”

Young was one of three freshmen who played varsity tennis last season, and she was the only freshman to start the season on varsity. She’s one of four sophomores who earned varsity experience this season (Jordin Dickey, Emma Hicks and Margaux DaCosta), and as the Lady Hubs continue building their young core, Young appears primed to spearhead the charge as she progresses into her junior and senior seasons.

“I like to challenge myself and see how well I can perform against other girls,” Young said. “It will be fun to see how we grow up and it will be fun to see how the freshmen improve their skills from this season. It was exciting to start the season 2-0… We’ve definitely played well and I think we can play better. We have to work hard at practice and possibly take some lessons over the summer to improve our skills.”