The thwacks and twangs of a tennis racket are familiar sounds to senior Allison Bryant.

She has been playing tennis for eight years, including three seasons Carmel.  Bryant began playing tennis in Memphis, where she lived before moving to Illinois.

“I started doing camps because I used to live in Memphis, Tennessee, then I came [to Illinois], and I did both soccer and tennis,” Bryant said.  “When I came here, I decided to just do tennis and then I loved it so much I didn’t even want to play soccer, I just wanted to get better at tennis.”

Bryant enjoys her team as well as the game.

“The teammates, the people are like family outside of school,” Bryant said. “It’s always fun to come to practice.”

Bryant also appreciates the competition, and likes pushing herself to get better.

“There’s hard opponents,” Bryant said.  “Our conference is really challenging, so it was hard, but it’s good.”

Playing tennis has helped her both on the court and off.

“It’s a mental sport, especially in singles, you’re all by yourself so…your worst opponent is you getting in your head,” Bryant said.  “Stay with it, and stay positive with yourself.”