There's one element of the girls' tennis state tournament that you can't get on any other court.
"It's the energy," Rosemount's Virginia Norder said.
Norder, a three-time state qualifier, has harnessed that energy and injected it into a program seeking to establish itself among the state's best. Norder, along with fellow junior Alison Baker, have been playing varsity tennis since they were seventh-graders. They both attend camps, clinics and play in tournaments throughout the year.
Their growth, improvement and enthusiasm have been contagious. Coach Dana Beck has seen it trickle down the lineup and into the rest of the girls.
"They all want to play in the offseason too because they know the other girls are doing it," said Beck, in her 12th season as head coach. "That really jump-started everybody. You have to get everyone playing in the offseason to really improve and be one of the top-ranked teams. It just has to happen."
For the past few seasons, the Irish have been doing just that. Rosemount made it to the Class 2A state tournament semifinals last fall and also made the trip in 2009.
Norder, a court strategist with an above-average forehand and solid all-around game, has relished her state experience as an individual. But there's nothing quite like qualifying as a team, which the Irish have done in two of the past three years.
"Going to state as an individual is an amazing experience, knowing you've worked hard to get to that point for yourself. But going with the team, it's really great," Norder said. "Tennis is often such an individual sport, so to actually be able to go to a tennis event with the team is pretty rare. It's a totally different environment."
