The Statesboro girls’ tennis team set a school record for victories as they advanced to the state Class-5-A quarterfinals.

The Blue Devils are working hard this summer and coach Brian Hall is expecting big things from rising sophomore Nellie Watanabe.

“Tennis has been super fun lately,” Watanabe said. “My coaches have been great and I can feel myself getting better. There's definitely a lot I need to work on, but I'm happy about where I'm at now. This summer season has been really fun.

I love hitting whenever I can with my siblings and teammates, even if it does feel like I'm playing on the surface of the sun. I can't wait to see how the upcoming season will go and I have a really good feeling about it.”

“Nellie stepped in and started as a freshman last year and has continued to improve every time she steps on the court,” Hall said. “She hits a solid ball and is working on her consistency and her serve right now. We are expecting big things from her as a sophomore this year.”