Looking from the outside, a fourth-place finish for the Grand Island Senior High girls tennis team in the Class A State Tournament might seem like a nice little accomplishment.
It capped off a solid year for the Islanders, which included an undefeated run through their duals schedule.
Yet, Grand Island was a distant fourth behind traditional powers like Omaha Marian and Omaha Westside.
But a team's success can't just be calculated by where it finishes.
"If you talk to the (Omaha) Westside coach, finishing fourth would be terrible," GISH co-coach Nancy Cowgill said. "In outstate (Nebraska), going undefeated (in duals) and finishing in the top five (at state) is pretty good from where we start out."
And where the Islanders start out is the reason the GISH tennis program has become a hidden gem in the middle of the state.
The city hasn't contained a wealth of tennis prodigies. In fact, the first practice during a freshman season is often when Senior High's players get their inaugural taste of the sport.
Of this year's team that finished fourth, only one -- freshman Jenna Helleberg -- had played tennis prior to her freshman year.
Despite that, coaches Scott and Nancy Cowgill have turned the Islander programs -- both boys and girls -- into regular top 10 teams that more often than not have been finding themselves in the top five in Class A at the end of the season.
For their success throughout the spring, the Cowgills have been selected as The Independent's Girls Coaches of the Year.
It's hard to imagine a high school basketball team with only two players who shot hoops before his or her freshman year, or a football team with only four players who've touched a football.
But having athletes come out for tennis with no experience is something the Cowgills have become accustomed to, and that hasn't hampered their success.
"You definitely have to work a lot more on skill development and effort," Nancy said. "You work on keeping the ball in play. It's a totally different feel for sure than if you have experienced kids. It takes a long time."
Not only that, but tennis is often played only during the high school season by many of the players, unlike some of the premier programs in Omaha which have players stay active in it year-round.
"In Grand Island, most kids don't play three or four days in the offseason," Nancy said. "Not only are you late in team development, but tennis is costly, so most kids don't use the Racquet Center in the winter.
"You don't expect much success the first few years. But this group listened, developed strategies and was able to be successful."
The overachieving Islanders even did better than their coaches expected.
"Really, to be honest, if you'd told us the kids would do this well, both Nancy and I would have been surprised," Scott said. "It's a tribute to the kids, not Nancy and me.
"Kelsie (Olson) improved so much and gave us a legit No. 1 (singles) player. Brigette (Root) did great for us (at No. 2 singles). Both doubles teams jelled and pushed each other in practices. We were able to win big matches as a whole team."
While the Cowgills deflect credit to the players, Grand Island Senior High activities director Joe Kutlas feels the coaches have done something special.
"The Cowgills have been a genuine pleasure to work with," Kutlas said. "They are smart, hard working and full of energy. And the expectation level in our tennis programs is high because the Cowgills have set the bar high.
"They work their student-athletes hard, but they also have created a family-oriented atmosphere. Our tennis graduates will forever know they were a part of something different, something special, something they can always return to."
Former Islander Kylie Roe, who completed her tennis career at the University of Nebraska-Omaha this year, attests to that.
"They just taught me to work hard. Really, they're great at teaching and we did some conditioning that really helped me improve my technical skills like serving and volleying," Roe said.
"They're great coaches. They're hard on you, but it's constructive criticism. You want to win for yourself, but you also want to win for them because they put so much time into everything."
Hard work is a theme that's prevalent whenever talking about GISH tennis. Practices start at 3:45 p.m. sharp (“If you don't make it on time, there's consequences," Nancy said) and last until 6 p.m. or beyond -- rain, shine, wind or whatever else the Nebraska weather throws at the team.
Despite the wild weather this spring, Grand Island's tennis courts were in use every day that practice was scheduled.
"I talk to other coaches, and most teams we play against practice an hour-and-a-half," Scott said. "So we know we have an edge. Both Nancy and I believe this is a game of skill, so you're not fighting fatigue like in track if you keep them out (practicing longer)."
Often, Islander players credit their conditioning and working in any weather conditions for winning tough, close matches.
"Scott and I are both passionate about the value of fitness," Nancy said. "It can give you a mental edge if you know you've been out there (practicing) longer."
Getting that edge in conditioning doesn't come easy. Sprints are common, and each practice as well as the occasional home dual ends with the players out on the track running a mile.
"In this day and age, (running) is not punishment, it's a reward," Nancy said. "You can say that stunk but I'm better because I did it. The kids understand they can do more and they want to. If you stay where you're comfortable, you can't reach your goals."
The Cowgills are a well-oiled coaching team. They even have the "good cop/bad cop" routine down.
"I look for the negatives, I look for the mistakes," Scott said. "She looks for the positives. I focus on the negatives and try to make them better through that. Nancy tries to build them up.
"That's why Nancy talks to players during matches. The kids see I'm upset. But they know it is an intensity thing and not an anger thing."
But the Cowgills can switch things up when necessary.
"He's not always the bad cop," Nancy said. "I can take that role. If one of us gets on a kid, the other helps them see the other side. The kids learn to understand the difference between coaching with intensity instead of coach with meanness or anger."
With the Cowgills at the helm, Grand Island Senior High's tennis teams have also learned to be successful.
