Jefferson’s Lily Holland works on tennis in ‘offseason’

CEDAR RAPIDS — Tennis has always been like a lifestyle for Lily Holland.

“I started playing tennis in elementary school,” Holland, a junior at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, wrote in an email. “My grandma, mom, aunt, and brother played tennis and we have fun playing together. I just like to compete.”

Holland played No. 1 singles for the J-Hawks in the spring, finishing second in the IGHSAU Class 2A state tournament. She had a record of 12-2 during the high school season.

“I try to focus on getting every ball,” Holland wrote. “Every point is important.”

That’s what Holland reminded herself of during the recent Baird Iowa Open Tennis Tournament. The Iowa Open hosted tournaments for adults and juniors late last month at the Veterans Memorial Tennis Center in Cedar Rapids.

Holland won the girls’ 18s singles title.

“It always feels good to win a tournament, but I have to continue to learn from it and work on my game,” Holland said.

Tournaments like the Iowa Open are what help athletes like Holland work on their game during the summer, even for a non-summer sport.

“Summer tennis is the offseason,” Holland said. “But it is a great time to work on my game and play a variety of people.”

Holland puts in a lot of hard work on her game and plans on playing tennis for many more years.

“I plan on playing tennis at Jefferson High School this coming junior and senior year,” said Holland when asked what her future with tennis looks like. “I also plan to continue doing tennis tournaments throughout the year.

“It would be fun to play tennis in college.”