Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Ana Rollings is a Granger tennis player to her core. The LaGrange High senior is in her final run in blue and white, and it has been quite the special run.

Rollings has been a member of the LaGrange High tennis program since her eighth-grade year at Gardner Newman, when she played up with the JV. Her freshman year, she was a reserve on a team that finished as 4A runner-up. As a senior, she is leading the Grangers into a Final 4 appearance as the No. 1 singles player.

“I started last season as the no. 3 singles player and then coach (Kenny) Moore moved me to no. 1 during the season,” she said. “It was a lot of pressure at first, but I was honored that he trusted me in that spot.”

Rollings was the only freshman on the team three years ago. Now, she is the only senior on the starting lineup.

“It’s different this year, even though I’m the only senior starting,” Rollings said. “I have grown up with most of these girls. Last year really changed everything, we really started to become more like a family.”

It has been a special year for Rollings and the Grangers on the courts. All the expectations and hype were around the boys’ program at LaGrange High. For a long stretch of the season, the girls flew under the radar. That was until the girls matched the boys’ region title and punched their ticket to the Final 4.

“I think all the girls are a little nervous, but more importantly, we are very excited,” she said. “Nobody expected us to make it this far. Everybody was looking more at the boys to start the season, but now we are here too.” 

Whether the Grangers’ remarkable run ends on Wednesday or continues towards a state championship appearance, Rollings isn’t taking it for granted. The senior wrapped up school on Tuesday and now only has tennis left on her radar before graduation.

“I can’t believe it’s almost over,” Rollings said. “Everybody tells you how fast it goes, but it’s hard to believe them until it’s gone.”

Rollings has been playing tennis practically her entire life. Her mother is a tennis player and introduced her to the sport at a young age. That passion for tennis has grown in Rollings since then, even though she still plays against her mom every now and again.

“We still play every so often, and she still beats me every time,” Rollings said, laughing. “They are fun matches, but really competitive because I hate losing.”

With her time on the tennis courts winding down, Rollings has one eye on the future. The Granger senior will be attending Auburn in the fall. No matter if she ends up playing club tennis or not, she plans to keep the sport a part of her life as long as she can.