She believes that coaching has been a huge factor in her success on the court. Karchere-Sun met her most influential coach when she was 11. “I used to get pretty mad on the court, and I’d get really frustrated really easily,” said Karchere-Sun. Karchere-Sun’s coach helped her get over her mental stresses on the court, allowing Karchere-Sun’s pure athletic ability and talent to shine through. To help her learn how to control her frustration on the court, her coach would sit down with Karchere- Sun and explain different strategies. He explained that in tennis, a tough mental game is as important if not more important than the physical aspect of the game.

The PDS tennis team has won three straight Prep B championships and will be going for their fourth straight title this year. Karchere-Sun believes that she brings leadership, positivity, and of course her “A” game to the team. The leadership role suits Karchere-Sun well as she is highly experienced, she has a very positive attitude, and she garners respect from her teammates because, as she puts it, “I like to include their thoughts.” Karchere-Sun continued, “I think we can definitely win Prep Bs … and my team goal is to win Mercer Counties.” The team, over this lengthy period of success, has never won the Mercer County tournament. She described the Mercer County Tournament as a much more difficult tournament because, “You’re playing a lot more difficult teams because you’re playing public schools and they typically have a lot of better girls than a small private school does.”

This season, Karchere-Sun has high goals for herself since she has never personally won the Prep B tournament at #1 singles. She has had success however, winning the tournament at 2nd singles her freshmen year. “My personal goal for this season is to win both Mercer Counties and Prep Bs,” she said. We wish Karchere-Sun and the entire tennis team good luck with their season, and congratulate our October Athlete of the Month.