STARKVILLE — Harrison Warren went 4-5 as the No. 1 singles player on Starkville Academy”s tennis team this season.
Even though he made tremendous strides as a player and won more matches in a single season than he had before, he was shocked when Meridian Community College offered him a scholarship.
On Friday, Warren signed his National Letter of Intent to play with one of the South”s most competitive two-year tennis programs.
“I”m still surprised to get into such a great community college tennis program,” Warren said. “I”m very happy to be able to even do that.”
MCC has won four straight region titles and the MACJC state championship in 2004, ”05, ”07, and ”08. The Eagles had eight straight National Junior College Tournament Appearances between 2002-09.
“It”s pretty intimidating,” Warren said. “I know I”ve got to work hard to keep up with everyone on my team and compete with everyone. They have one of the best programs in the state, and I”m looking forward to being a part of that.”
Warren has been Starkville Academy”s No. 1 singles player for three seasons. He said the experience of playing Mississippi Association of Independent Schools competition will help make his transition to college tennis easier.
He began taking private lessons from former Mississippi State player Chris Doerr and playing in junior tournaments while competing for Starkville Academy. How he competed and dedicated himself to the game helped the team improve, Starkville Academy coach Lynn Moorehead said.
“I think a lot with our program at school, in the past the kids didn”t take it as serious; it was more like a club instead of a competitive team,” Moorehead said. “As we went around and played other schools, they saw how competitive the other teams were. Everyone stepped up, wanted to win more, and have close games.
“Harrison will do whatever you ask and he goes the extra mile. He has that will and wants to get better.”
Warren joins a MCC squad that had six freshmen last season.
With an improved forehand shot, he was able to force more rallies and play more aggressively. He hopes to crack the starting lineup but admits he”ll have to improve his serve this summer.
“Besides the consistency being so much greater, the serving power is just so much higher at the next level,” Warren said. “My serve is getting better, but I hope to improve it over the summer. I”ll be taking lessons and playing tournaments every weekend and playing three or four times a week. I know I can make it better with the time I have over the summer. I hope it will be up to par by the time the season starts.”
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