Captain Spotlight: Tennis Captain Talia Herbst

by Shir Levenson, SSLI '25

Editor's Note: Writer Shir Levenson interviews Tennis Captain Talia Herbst about her hopes for the season.

Talia Herbst ready for today's game! (E. Strachan)

Shir Levenson [SL]: When did you start playing tennis?

Talia Herbst [TH]: I started playing tennis when I was about seven or eight. I first started playing with my dad because he's always liked tennis, and then I started taking lessons and then I just continued from there.

[SL]: What do you enjoy about the sport?

[TH]: I enjoy how it has both components of being a team sport and an individual sport. It’s not too crazy of a sport because there isn’t a lot of running, but it's still a great way to keep active, and it's fun.

[SL]: What is your favorite part about playing on the Schechter team?

[TH]: My favorite part of the team is how close we are. When we play singles or doubles, we all cheer each other on and look over to see how the others are doing. Even though we aren’t all together, we still have the team aspect, and that's part of what I love about being on the team.

[SL]: How do you feel your team has played during the first few matches?

[TH]: Last week was our first week of matches, and we had three. Each one definitely had its own challenges to it. On Tuesday, we played Stony Brook ... [and] that allowed us to improve for our game on Thursday against LuHi.

[SL]: How would you describe the team's skills during the matches?

[TH]: We were definitely good at cheering each other on and being there for each other. Not every school we go to has the right amount of courts; so, while we’re not playing, we sit and cheer each other on. We’re very good at communication.

[SL]: How does Coach Josh Jurysta guide the team?

[TH]: We don’t know what we’re up against until we start playing. Coach Jurysta knows this, too, and he's very good about motivating us to “give it our all” and “we'll take it from there.” He tells us to come speak to him in between sets, and when we switch [sides of the court]. He is good at giving us pointers on what we need to fix quickly or what we are doing well with. He’s always standing on the sidelines and cheering us on, and he’s very supportive, and that's all we can ask for.

[SL]: In what ways are you hoping the team will improve this season?

[TH]: I hope the team can improve on being more alert and aware in certain situations. When we play doubles, it's important not to just let the ball go through both people. I'm hoping we can get some wins. I’m very excited for the rest of the season, and I really do think that we can win. I’ve seen a lot of improvement since our first week of practice, and I hope that it will be a great rest of the season for all.

Shir Levenson is a writer for Paw Print Now and has been published on the site since December 2022. Shir is currently a junior at Schechter School of Long Island and can be reached at the following email address: slevenson26@schechterli.org