At the beginning of this school year, a familiar face left and a new one emerged on the tennis courts of Carlsbad High School. This change left many students curious to what this might mean for the future of the tennis program.

The new coach, Richard Mattingley, known to the players as Coach Matt, has joined the team for his first year of coaching high school tennis. Most of the varsity members were wondering what he would be like compared to the previous coach. Junior Alex Tarbie is a member of the Girls Varsity team and believes the new coach has a bright future.

“Coach Matt, he is very calm and collected and you know, he’s just started coaching for the first year so he is doing very well for just starting,” Tarbie said.

During practice, Coach Matt has started a teaching court where he invites kids to come and practice any skills they want to work on. Many of the CHS players practice on the teaching court and enjoy this new change. Sophomore Lilly O’Neil is a member of the varsity tennis team and likes the way Coach Matt teaches.

“I really feel like I’ve gotten a lot of individualized instruction, which is really nice,” O’Neil said. “Like today I was working on volleys with him, which was great.”

As well as helping players get better, he is also helping them with their morale and winning games. The tennis team has traveled far this season and continues to grow in skill and friendships.

“It’s been going really well, we’ve been training a lot and practicing keeping our heads high no matter what,” Tarbie said.

Many of the players agree with Tarbie’s opinion and are excited about their many victories that have led them to where they are this season. Their motivation to win is inspiring, and they wish to continue this during the season.

“The season has been going pretty well so far,” O’Neil said. “We were in the open division for a hot second. We have had a lot of tough matches and ties, but we’ve come out on top.”

Coach Matt has been coaching well to keep the girls winning and ready for the next challenging match. Coach Matt is very knowledgeable about strategizing, and his players believe it greatly helps their team.

“I think he is a really good coach when it comes to strategizing,” O’Neil said.

When asked about this season, coach Matt stated that it was much better than he expected. Under Coach Matt’s guidance, the varsity team has advanced in their ranking and is now first in their division. When it comes to team bonding, Coach Matt has also created an environment for everyone to learn and have fun.

“It’s odd because I’ve never encountered such a large group of very friendly people all on one sports team,” O’Neil said.

Having a positive environment to learn and improve is crucial in a team, and Coach Matt has effectively played his part in helping the team. Though Coach Matt is doing very well on his own, he has many people to thank for helping him this year.

“Fortunately, I have Clayton as an assistant coach so when I have questions, I’ve got someone who’s been there for ten years,” Mattingley said. “I’ve also got an amazing athletic director, Tom Bloomquist, who has really been helping me out.”

Although many people were skeptical about what the new coach would bring, Coach Matt has really made his name known, making the team better in skill and happiness. Coach Matt really is a match for our Carlsbad tennis team and will lead them to further victories.

“I guarantee that we will win and I’m going to make sure all our players get out there this season and have fun,” Mattingley said.