An up-and-coming group of players is learning the game of tennis after joining the Wareham High School girls team. The girls are hoping to make their mark in the next couple years.

“They learn quickly,” said Coach Geoff Swett about one eighth grader and two seventh graders. “If they’re committed to getting better, they will get better.”

In fact, the team is the only one at the high school that has a waiver to accept seventh graders. Swett says that with a small team – just nine students are playing this year – that’s a good way to bolster its numbers.

That's already paying dividends, as Swett said he’s excited for the return of Olivia Powers and Giuliana L’Homme. Both joined as seventh graders last year and are progressing, he said.

On Tuesday afternoon, Swett worked on the fundamentals with eighth grader Mackenzie Brodley and seventh graders Sage Kidder and Allison Sciaraffa.

The girls, all new to the game, were on the tennis courts for their second outdoor practice of the season. Earlier this month, the girls worked on their games at an indoor facility in Marion. They joined the team after being encouraged by friends or to try out for a sport that caught their eye.

For Kidder, a match she watched on television sparked her interest. Brodley and Sciaraffa said they wanted to try out for any sport and friends encouraged them to join the team, which was in need of players.

On Tuesday, they returned serves lobbed by the “Lobster,” the players’ affectionate name for the bright red automatic server. Most importantly, all three are working on their serves.

“That’s definitely the hardest part,” said Brodley. “If you don’t get that down, you can’t play the game.”

Swett said it’s too soon to say where the new girls will fit into the team, but he’s confident all will do well.

“The new players who joined last year are all doing better, and I have the same high hopes for this new group,” said Swett.

The girls tennis team’s first match of the season is scheduled for April 3 at 3:30 p.m. against Carver at Carver High School.