Back and forth. Back and forth. Her chest rises and falls fast. Nine minutes of swinging and returning the ball. Her muscles ache with every step, her pink camo grip slick beneath her fingers. Part of her still fears that pain coming back, the injury that kept her from playing for months. But she keeps going anyway. She glances at the wall behind her, lets out a quick smile, and tells herself she’s okay. 

The crowd around her quiets, the sound of the ball echoing between swings. Sweat gathers at her hairline, but she doesn’t notice. In this moment, it’s just her and the court. She’s fighting to win, not just the game, but everything she’s worked to get back.

“When I finally got back into it,” sophomore Isabella Douglas said. “I loved it.”

Douglas has spent the last year recovering from a forearm injury that forced her to sit out for eight months. Despite the long wait and physical therapy, she returned to the court, determined to play again.

“I used to play tennis when I was younger, and then I took a break, and just as I was getting back into it, my arm got really sore,” Douglas said. “At first I thought it was because I was growing muscle, but I had heard of tennis elbow before, so I was scared.”

Returning to the court this season wasn’t something she faced alone. Her mom saw how much effort it took for her to stay positive while working to get back into tennis. Some days were harder than others, and there were times when her frustration brought tears. But through it all, her mom cheered her on as she worked toward recovery. 

 “She felt like she fell behind, and it was hard for her,” Molly Douglas, Douglas’s mom said. “I just encouraged her that she would get better, and she was really disciplined about doing her exercises.”

Each practice and every swing showed her resilience. Even after months away, she came back stronger, ready to contribute in any way she could. Her teammates noticed how she looked out for others, especially the freshman, and how she always brought kindness and effort to every practice. 

“She is so positive in every situation,” junior Stella Henderson, Douglas’s tennis teammate, said. “And that is very inspiring.”

Despite the soreness of each swing, despite everything hurting, her legs, her shoulders, her arms, she persists through. One last time. When the ball finally drops just out of her opponent’s reach, she exhales and lowers her racket. A smile spreads across her face. It’s not just a win, it’s proof the pain didn’t win either.