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05/02/2023 08:22 AMFor Izabella Olszewski, the sport of tennis has not only relaxed her mind and body, it has also strengthened her spirit mentally into a constant and persistent positive mindset–serving her well as a top-end singles player and steward for the East Haven girls’ tennis team in 2023.
Izabella grew up taking part in dance, while additionally briefly spending a stint as a gymnast, but upon entering high school, she moved on over to indoor track and the court with tennis. The No. 1 singles specialist and senior captain has served as a focal point to East Haven’s solid start to 2023 and 6-4 record after the Yellowjackets collected seven wins for all of last spring.
“I find the sport really fun and relaxing. The tennis community is really nice, and it has helped me make some great connections. It’s a fun sport,” says Izabella. “I have just been sticking with it this year and listening to my teammates and coaches and listening to what they say and their advice. I take in things to improve from each match and work on those things the next day.”
The single life within the confines of the court brings an interesting duality to Izabella. She explains that while it can seem daunting from physical and emotional perspectives being out there all alone, it can also give an athlete that extra added push of momentum and motivation to step up their game.
“It is definitely more demanding in singles, because it is only you out there,” Izabella says. “But if you miss or mess up on a point, then you have yourself to blame and there is no partner on the court you are letting down. Also, I think when it is just you out there, it helps you improve because it is all on you.”
In the top slot of the lineup for solo action with East Haven, Izabella tussles with an opposing team’s top talent. Even though she has seen some defeats in that assignment, she counters by noting that positivity has parlayed the way for her to be a more cerebral and durable competitor.
“I am usually a positive person, and I think tennis helps with that,” says Izabella. “Because I play against the best girls on the teams we face, I lose some matches, but the defeats do not bother me as much. I just move on, keep going, and know there is always room to improve. You can be your own worst enemy in tennis, so I learned not to overanalyze things. I take everything out there one point at a time and just keep going.”
The Yellowjackets have had an early resurgence in 2023 thus far after just missing states by just one win last spring, and Izabella’s due diligence both as a sensational solo artist on the court and exceptional steward off it have been at the forefront of East Haven’s prowess, per Head Coach Anthony Perrotti.
“Aside from being an exceptional student, Izzy has graciously taken on the role as one of our captains this season,” says Perrotti. “She has been a force at the top of our singles lineup thus far, with a key victory against Lyman Hall [scoring a 6-1, 6-0 win]. Her leadership and outstanding play has factored into our hot start to the season. She is loved and respected by all of her teammates and continues to improve her game on a daily basis. She has been a pleasure to coach, and I look forward to seeing her continue to progress and succeed in the second half of our season.”
As Izabella has sharpened all of her mechanics in crafting a robust repertoire with a racket, she makes an impact on all of her peers and teammates by being a confident face of leadership with the Yellowjackets others can confide in and come to with any queries.
“I have been hitting stronger forehands, my backhand has been solid, and I have also been working on getting my shots closer to the baseline to make the ball harder to hit and return,” says Izabella. “It has been really fun being captain. We do not have too many newer girls, but it has been really nice to meet them and take their questions. We are all friends on this team, and I really feel like a friend with a little bit more authority rather than just being a captain.”
As Izabella and the Yellowjackets are working on harmony as a group and honing in on a return to the postseason, she further explains that once she crosses the stage at graduation for East Haven, she is ready to move from baseline shots to taking her shots in the business world.
“Our goal as a team this year is to make it to states; we are on a good track to do that this year. We also want to bond and have strong connections as a team, which will also help us get to states,” Izabella says. “I am going to UConn to be a business major. I want to do something either in business or management with a stable job and just have fun with it.”
Izabella begins the final descent of her tennis tenure with the Yellowjackets by giving only the most glaring recommendations of the program to others–citing that it can only bring growth via terms of personal abilities and fostering crucial companionship with others.
“East Haven tennis has definitely shaped me, because I got my friends involved in it, and I also made new connections and friendships from it,” says Izabella. “I would recommend the sport and this team to anyone; you will get great memories out of it.”