Tennis coach Justin Quest stood on the sidelines, carefully tracking his players. 

The time slowly ticked down. With every second, the team was getting farther from a chance to play in the state qualifiers.

But Coach Quest was determined to lead his team to the state championship. “We have been knocking on the door for the last decade,” Quest said. Finally, they made it. 

The Allen Eagle Tennis team had successfully become regional champions and advanced to the state tournament during their fall season for the first time in a while. Justin Quest, the current coach of the tennis team was initially in disbelief of being regional champions because it had been unbelievable for him.

“We have been to six regional finals prior to this year, and we have been close,” Quest said. “For 15 years we have been ranked inside the top ten. We have been knocking on the door for the last decade. For this team to finally break through is awesome.”

When asked what strategies he implemented to help the team succeed, Quest highlighted the importance of team building.

“I don’t know if it was so much of a practice situation,”  Quest said. “I think that this particular team really gelled. There is a lot of cohesion with this team. I won’t lie and say we may have had better teams in the past. But this particular group really bonded together and really fought for each other on the court.”

This sense of unity did not happen by chance. It was cultivated through team bonding efforts on and off the courts.

“We have a good culture and it is never static,” Quest said. “It is always moving and always dynamic. Whether it be a great practice or a team dinner or these kids hanging out post-match. All those little things combine into how these guys get along.”

Junior tennis player Iniyan Alagappan shared how she felt about the team’s win this season.

“I feel that we fought hard as a team and won against all the odds,” Alagappan said. “This was a long-deserved success for the Allen tennis program, especially since we had fallen short many times in the past.”

When asked how she thought the tennis team would perform in the future, Alagappan explained that she was excited to see how the future tennis team would perform.

“We are closer and more determined to get better now than ever before, leading to our success,” Alagappan said. “I feel that we fought hard as a team and won against all the odds.”

Specifically, Alagappan mentioned why she anticipated playing on the tennis team again this year. For her, this was another chance to play with her team and to be a leader as a future senior.

“After this season, I want to see what this group of players can do next year, and how I can contribute even more than I did before,” Alagappan said. “As a senior, I want to see how my views and experience will have an effect on the morale of the team, and I feel that though there may not be as many seniors, we will be able to succeed.” 

Alagappan reflected on the team’s unexpected journey to success, emphasizing the key factors that contributed to their achievements.

“Our team has felt like an underdog to other tennis giants in the DFW area Plano West and Southlake Carroll,” Alagappan said. “For my past two years on the Varsity team, it has been a Cinderella experience, going farther than my team and coaches could have imagined. The coaches’ dedication and the players’ chemistry on and off the court is what really secured us our first state championship berth.”

Many members of the tennis team mentioned that assistant coach Davidson played a big role in the team’s success this year. Assistant coach Davidson explained how he felt about the team’s win this year.
“To make the Final Four out of over 250 6A Schools was amazing,” Davidson said. “In my career, I had been very close numerous times but had just never gotten over that hump. It was a feeling that’s hard to describe, but it was like a huge weight being lifted off of all of us.”

The team started the year 3-2, and they ended it 23-4 because of their resilience and determination.

“We started the year 3-2 and ended it 23-4,” Davidson said. “One goal of every team in any sport is to overachieve for the talent level you have. Many teams underachieve. This team overachieved for sure.” 

When asked what strategies he implemented to help the team and its players, Davidson explained that he didn’t use any special methods of training.

“Just genuinely caring about each player, not just about their playing ability, but each one as a person,” David said. “Our coaching staff shows by example that we are all in. When players see that the coaches don’t take practices off, they follow suit and that is the culture that we have here at Allen.”

Although overwhelmed by a sense of accomplishment, Davidson also anticipates coaching alongside Coach Quest in the following years.

“The team got much closer during the Fall, loved one another, and trusted one another when we needed it the most,” Davidson said. “This team sacrificed every day and ended up accomplishing something that no team in school history had ever done. We found a way, and that is the mark of great teams, the mark of champions.”