The Green Hope High School women’s varsity tennis team is off to a swinging start with an 11-0 record after a recent win against Green Level, 8-1. Last year, the team finished fourth in the Southwest Wake 4A conference. The team has a long tradition of success, three-peating state championships from 2017-2019 as well as winning again recently in 2022. Currently, they are ranked first in their conference and second in the 919 according to HighschoolOT. This year, the team hopes to win State Championships again, with the help of their new coach, Coach Denton.

According to Isabella (Issy) Lunceford (‘25), the team captain, “We have had an amazing season. We are undefeated and even beat Green Level, C.E. Jordan and Panther Creek after losing to them last year.” Lunceford is excited to see what the rest of the season will look like, and aspires to continue sweeping the competition. “I hope we make it far in playoffs and make it to the State Championship. I also hope to have a lot of fun with my teammates since it’s my last season.” Her favorite part of the season has been hanging out with the team. She says the team culture is inclusive and fun, and they plan on having their team sleepover next week.

The new coach, Coach Denton, emphasizes having a cheerful yet competitive atmosphere. The players appreciate his motivating style of coaching. Lunceford stated, “He is so awesome. He always encourages us to do our best, he always has the right thing to say and he is always there for the team.” 

Denton’s favorite part of coaching is the small daily interactions and building connections with the players. Denton admits that at first, he wasn’t sure about taking on the coaching position of the tennis team until he learned more about the players. He said, “When I looked at the roster, I knew a lot of the girls, and I knew they had a lot of character.” 

Although he has coached various sports in high school, Coach Denton had no prior experience in tennis. “I came in with the mentality to learn more about tennis, and I got enough knowledge to be comfortable with it. Since I was able to learn from someone with so much experience from the background, now that [Coach Jones is] gone, I’m completely confident,” Denton said.

Denton says the team has as much chemistry off the court as they do on the court. He appreciates the collective unity and drive of the team, and how all of the girls have stepped up to the plate. He stated, “The leadership role has been shared, not just by the team captains or the highest ranked players.”

Denton has coached men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, women’s volleyball, men’s tennis and is going to be the assistant flag football coach. Like Issy, he also hopes to secure a State Championship title this year. After seeing his team take down many top teams, he is confident in this goal.