Tennis has many components that make it unique. From the scoring to the simple rules, tennis requires not only athletic skill, but also a mental edge and understanding of the game. With Gretna only months away from splitting into two schools, seasons begin to wind down as teammates start to become rivals. The new school has hired the current GHS girls’ assistant tennis coach Mr. Matthias Mattley to be the first head girls’ tennis coach at GEHS.

Looking in similar sports, Coach Mattley found inspiration to play tennis in ping pong. He fell in love with tennis over a summer and ran with it from there. Growing up in Kearney, Coach Mattley moved after his freshman year and came to Gretna. He played tennis all throughout high school and planned to play in college until he decided to pursue becoming a pastor. He attended Nebraska Christian College along with Hope International University and is now a middle school pastor at Calvary Christian Church. Having a background in tennis has helped, and Coach Mattley knows what to look for in a player.

“A lot of the teams I’ve coached in the past, a lot of my quote unquote ‘team captains’ have not always been the best player,” Coach Mattley said. “It’s the player that can lead through adversity, a player that can really have each other’s back, and set the tone for practice, and for matches. It’s the player that will be willing to step up into uncomfortable situations and be like ‘Hey let’s figure this out.’”

Although he has never been a head coach, Coach Mattley has learned the ways of the game as an assistant. He has coached for the past five years at numerous schools such as Skutt, Papillion La-Vista South, Bellevue West and Gretna. Alongside his tie in graduating from Gretna, his mom is currently an elementary teacher at Gretna Elementary. His wife Hannah enjoys tennis, but according to Coach Mattley, still does not fully understand the scoring. He also appreciates staying active by playing basketball and weightlifting. Coach Mattley is ready for the task that is forthcoming and has accepted the challenge of beginning a team from the beginning.

“I love building programs from the ground up,” Coach Mattley said. “Basically starting with almost nothing and building programs up, but also building players up, not only in skill level but team-wise, confidence, I’m really excited to have that opportunity.”