Every spring, the Gator girls tennis team hosts the Gator invite at the Woods tennis center. The Gator invite is a tournament style tennis meet with a wide variety of schools. There are schools that are Class A, as well as many schools that are Class B. It is essentially three rounds of duals where the whole team will play another school’s entire team.The tournament consists of three rounds. The first round is a tournament played with doubles, as well as singles. The Gators faced off Lincoln Northeast for the first match. Junior Mariana Bazan has been a part of the Gator girls tennis team for the past three years. She explains, “The first match was pretty steady. We were on an even playing field, so it was similar to our previous matches.” The girls already faced the Rockets earlier in the season, so they had an idea of what to expect. The Gators pulled through and secured a first round win of 5-0. They dominated in this match and really played together as a team. 
The Gators were up against Lincoln Northwest in the semifinals. This match was very similar to their first match. It was a steady match and the girls were able to walk away with another 9-0 win. It was finally time for the last round, the championship! The team had to face Hastings. The girls haven’t played them yet this season, so they weren’t sure what to expect. Bazan says, “The last match against Hastings was a tough battle. Their team has a lot of really consistent players. All of the matches had a lot of rallies and long sets.” After the long battle against the Tigers, the team won 8-1. After a long and exciting day, the team claimed their title of Gator Invite champions. This is a super exciting win for them, because it demonstrates their hard work ethic and ability to work together as a team. The girls are looking forward to their big state championship in the middle of May. Be sure to stop by the tennis courts and catch a match before their season is over!
