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State Gazette Girls Tennis Player of the Year: Dyer County Lady Choctaw Briley Abair
Friday, July 12, 2024
Dyer County Lady Choctaw Briley Abair
JASON PEEVYHOUSE
With a strong season in singles as well as an All-District 14AA selection on the doubles side, Dyer County Lady Choctaw Briley Abair has been named the State Gazette Girls Tennis Player of the Year for this past spring season.
Though only her first year on the tennis court, Abair made an instant impact with the Lady Choctaws this past season thanks in part to her background as a volleyball player, according to Dyer County Head Coach Marjie Sanderson.
“I’ve found that a lot of volleyball players are great at tennis,” Sanderson explained. “They’re just used to the net.
“And, some of the volleyball players who play tennis walk to the serve like you do in volleyball. This is unique because that’s not really what you’re taught to do.”
Sanderson added she could tell from the first day Abair had athleticism.
“You hope and pray for the students to be athletic right out of the gate,” Sanderson pointed out. “She was determined and focused.
“She learned right away. I could tell she was getting better with each practice.”
Sanderson stressed that, despite the success and awards Abair won this past spring, she was still just a beginner when it came to tennis.
“That’s how amazing she got by the end of the season,” the Dyer County tennis coach added. “One thing she worked on a lot was her serve.
“We worked on her backswing because a lot of beginners serve by bringing the racket forward – almost like a fly swatter motion. We worked on that and she picked it up in one practice. From then on out, I would see her on a court practicing that one serve. She just picked it up so quick.”
Sanderson added she was delighted to see Abair utilizing the coaching of her serve during the following matches. Having someone this coachable come out for the first time is a good bonus to have, the coach agreed.
“I love how coachable she is,” Sanderson admitted. “And, she is very even-tempered. Very calm. There’s sort of a Zen calm to her.
“If she gets frustrated, you don’t really see it. It becomes more of a determination to fix something.”
Sanderson noted Abair worked great as a singles and as a doubles player.
“The thing about Briley is that she hustles,” the Lady Choctaw head coach said. “She hustles to the ball and doesn’t have flat feet.
“She moves on the court well.”
Sanderson added this is aided by playing other sports like volleyball, where she is a member of the Lady Choctaw volleyball team in the fall.
“She’s been playing volleyball since the fourth grade,” Sanderson said. “I’m happy that she’s went out for tennis because I’ve had a lot of juniors and seniors go out for tennis for the first time.
“I know a lot of coaches get frustrated about it but I actually welcome it. Last year I had four brand new seniors girls play for the first time and they absolutely loved it. They were disappointed that they hadn’t gone out earlier. They just really loved it and improved. She’s one of those who loved it and got good quick.”
Sanderson hopes and believes this will carry over into Abair’s senior year.
“She’s got a competitive spirit about her,” the DCHS head coach added. “There’s a competitiveness where she wants to rise to the occasion.”
Examples of this were seen when Abair was named to the Hornet Cup All-Tournament Team and the District 14AA All-District Team.
Abair was also named as her team’s Player of the Year by Sanderson.