When the Pacelli tennis program came to an end recently and the school decided to co-op with Austin, there weren’t too many Pacelli students affected.

After all, last year’s Shamrocks had just four tennis players and two of them graduated. As it stands now, Maggie Leif, who will be a sophomore at Pacelli this fall, may be the only Pacelli student to play tennis for the Packers.

But she’s not letting that bother her.

“I’m actually really excited. I’m glad to play on a bigger team and it’s a good opportunity,” Leif, who was Pacelli’s No. 2 singles player last season, said. “I have a lot of friends on that team.”

Competing with another school is nothing new for Leif, who also plays on the Lyle-Pacelli golf team. She said she doesn’t mind getting to know a few new people while competing.

“I enjoy it and I like meeting people from other schools. I think it’s fun,” said Leif.

For Austin head tennis coach Lavon Larson, the new co-op will give him access to a few more players over the next few seasons.

“It’s definitely a benefit for us to add players,” he said. “It helps fill out a roster so we can stay competitive at all of our positions. Any numbers are good numbers.”

Pacelli now only carries one sport on its own — cross country.