PHOTO EDITOR / EMILY ROWAN
“I’m not a perfect tennis player. There will always be things I need to work on but in order to understand how to win you have to lose some matches,” Terra McHenry, senior tennis player and English and secondary education major, said.
McHenry started playing tennis her freshman year of high school back in Pitman, N.J.
“It’s kind of a funny story how I got started playing tennis because my parents wanted me to play a fall sport and the only ones I knew about were cheerleading and field hockey, which didn’t interest me at all but then I heard about tennis and thought I’d try it,” McHenry said.
Last Year she earned all-CSAC second team in doubles, was named CSAC Player of the week for the week of Oct. 13, held a singles record of 7-8 and went 10-5 in doubles with her partner and teammate Tori Yeich.
“Terra is one of my captains. She is a relentless competitor and refuses to accept mediocrity. She has grown immensely as a player and a person in her two years at Cabrini,” Stephen Parker, head coach, said. “She leads by example and is a compassionate teammate.”
McHenry also tries to be a good example on and off the court. Nicole Broccolino, Senior tennis player and fellow teammate, said, “Terra is always looking out for her teammates and friends first. Not only does she contribute talent to the team, but also unconditional friendship and support.”
Being a senior as well as a captain puts McHenry in a high leadership position on the team.
“Being a leader definitely goes hand in hand with being one of the senior captains on the team,” McHenry said. “I work hard and try to do my best in every practice and match to be a good role model for the team.”
Coach Parker hopes that everyone sees McHenry’s tenacity and commitment to improve.
He went on to say that his favorite memory of McHenry is, “Those little private moments during changeovers when she flashes that smile and we both know she has solved her opponents game and is confident she will be victorious. We laugh and act like we have something important to say.”
As any student-athlete knows juggling school work on top of sports can be a challenge. McHenry thinks that this has made her a more organized student. Her most memorable moment playing tennis is competing against Gwynedd-Mercy in the dark.
Off the courts she enjoys reading, hanging out with friends and watching movies.
Even though her tennis career is winding down, McHenry doesn’t see her relationship with the sport ending anytime soon.
“I see it impacting my life by showing different ways I can coach and teach different types of players how to play tennis,” McHenry said. “I hope to one day become a tennis coach so that way I can still be involved with the sport.”
Her team is what she will miss most about her time playing tennis here because of all the time they have spent together.
“Tennis has truly meant everything to me over the years and I never thought it would have been as big of an aspect in my life that it has been,” McHenry said. “Tennis has always been a way for me to escape the stress that life can bring and a way to relax and have fun.”
