The Shamrock tennis team took to the courts against the Atherton High School Rebels and showed why the Rocks are one of the top teams in the state by beating the Rebels in four of five matches.

"In spite of the fact that sometimes the guys show up in mismatched uniforms, the team always shows up ready to play," Trinity assistant coach Paul Vale said. "An example of this is Patrick Richardson’s inability to wear the correct shorts, but his ever-improving serve and newfound attacking volley style make him a force to be reckoned with this season."

Richardson is a junior at Trinity this year and looks forward to finishing this season strong. "I had a great win today, and I think I can win as the season goes on," said Richardson after a dominant performance in the No. 1 singles match as he beat his opponent in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.

"It was a tough match. During the second set I told the opponent you can call me Nighthawk, and you can call my partner Dragon. This surely intimidated Atherton," joked freshman Michael Link after winning his doubles match.

Link and his partner, Gavin Elder, beat their opponents in the No. 2 doubles 6-4, 6-3.

Robbie Slawinski, a sophomore on the team, said, "I think the match was over before it even started, not because we knew they weren’t up to our skill, but because of our overwhelming determination to win."

Slawinski and Sam Raque beat their opponents convincingly 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 3 doubles.

The Rocks played loose most of the day, but that doesn’t mean everything always went their way. "We need line judges or a challenge system," junior Taylor Baker said.

He said this because there were several calls throughout the match that were very questionable.

Baker and his partner, George Fischer, lost in a hard-fought No. 1 doubles match in three sets, 5-7, 7-5 and 8-10.

When asked about what this team can accomplish down the road, Fischer, the only senior player on the team, said, "I’m optimistic about our team because we are young. I will be the only one leaving after this year so I hope the best for the underclassmen."

Sophomore Parker Lawson won 6-0 6-0 in No. 2 singles. Trinity’s Ahmed Gardezi won his match in No. 3 singles, 6-3, 6-2.

After the Rocks’ dominating win over Atherton, Trinity’s top six players headed to Paducah for the Lone Oak Invitational, where Trinity finished second at the meet, only losing to the top-ranked Manual Crimsons.

The Rocks defeated host team Lone Oak and Bowling Green.