Crack! The green fuzzy ball zips across the court as Justin Bridges, ?08, scrambles to reach it in time. With a well-placed forehand, he smashes the tennis ball over the net, barely missing his opponent?s head.

Bridges, who practices four hours of tennis each week outside the regular tennis team practices, holds the No. 1 position on the campus varsity tennis team.

?I?ve been playing tennis for about four years,? Bridges said. ?Before the tennis season started, I was expecting to be the number two player on the team, so it was a surprise for me to end up as the number one player.

Bridges also participates in tennis tournaments across the state.

?I finished second at a tournament in Monterey and first in some others,? Bridges said. ?I like playing tennis because it?s fun beating everyone up.?

Bridges came to the campus in 7th grade from Forkner Elementary School. He enjoys playing air soft with his friends. He also plays soccer and ping-pong.

?My favorite professional tennis player is Gruillermo Coria,? Bridges said. ?He is my favorite because he?s short and he?s good.?

Besides playing as the team?s number one singles player, Bridges pairs up with the number two player, Eric Neufeld, ?05, to form the number one doubles team.

?I like playing with Eric because we pretty much destroy the opposing team every time,? Bridges said. ?So far, we have a perfect record.?

For this freshman, a tennis future seems far away.

?I don?t really know what I am going to do in the future,? Bridges said. ? However, I think it would be cool to play tennis for the Texas Christian Horn Frogs when I go to college.?