Participating in the WIAA State Girls Individual Tennis Tournament is getting to be “old hat” for Seniors Taylor Peterson and Jordin Popp of Manitowoc Lincoln.
Taylor is making her fourth consecutive trip, Jordin her third straight, but this time they’re playing together in doubles. They have an overall record of 22-2 and hold the number five seed in the Division One draw, receiving a first-round bye.
Their opponent will be Julia Swatkowski and Mary Gulak from Mukwonago, who defeated a duo from Oregon High School on Thursday to advance.
Taylor tells SeehaferNews.com that she’s blessed to play at state all four years of her career.
“It’s a good feeling, and I’m really excited for this trip to Madison,” she said. “I think that Jordin and I can go far in the tournament. I’m confident that we can advance far and reach the podium on Saturday.”
Jordin has qualified for state the last two years, and now she gets to play together with Taylor, who’s been her friend since the age of five.
“I’m excited. My mindset really hasn’t changed, but playing with Taylor will help me settle my nerves more easily,” she noted. “I’m excited to see how things go, and I like our chances if we just go out there and play hard.”
Popp and Peterson have not only played hard but have played great, even dominating tennis at times.
Most of their matches have ended in straight-set victories not even losing a single game to their opponents.
Their coach is Stephanie Henschel, a state qualifier herself when she played at Lincoln.
She says these two girls have been blessed with a ton of athletic talent.
“If you can get a good athlete to play a sport and they’re driven to do things, they’re going to be good at almost everything,” the coach explained. “The other thing is that both girls love tennis. If you combine a passion for something with a lot of drive, you’re going to be very successful.”
Henschel feels Taylor and Jordin can reach the podium and bring home a medal.
Peterson adds it’d be a dream come true.
“Getting to see people playing with passion on Saturday, knowing they’ll be on the podium, has inspired me to continually improve,” she explained. “Watching people work so hard to achieve a goal and seeing it play out just inspires me to be one of those people.”
Popp adds, regardless of the results, it’s been a great ride.
“I don’t think there’s just one word to describe it,” she told SeehaferNews.com. “If you had told me in the eighth grade that I would have qualified for state three times and managed to end my career playing with Taylor (Peterson), I wouldn’t have believed you. Just being at state with Taylor as the five-seed, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Their match is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m.
