Polk County Middle School’s tennis team lost to Brevard 8-1 at home Sept. 19 but Coach Kenneth Alexander said losses build stronger, smarter players.

Alexander said he’s enthusiastic about the progress his players are making.

“With each match our players are getting more confident. Tyler Harris pulled out a close match for our only win,” Alexander said. “Once again, the scores did not reflect the competitiveness of the match.”

Eighth-grader Harris is the team’s No. 3 player with a record of 1-2.

In the team’s match against Veritas, Sept. 12, the doubles team of Gabe Petoia and Keenan Harmon won one of their two matches 4-1 in both sets.

“We have worked hard during practice, and we have a lot of fun also,” Alexander said of his team.

– information submitted by Kenneth Alexander