The dynamics of a team often bring about a feeling of brotherhood among the members. For the undefeated No. 1 doubles tandem on Notre Dame's boys' tennis team, it's a feeling they're quite familiar with.
From spending summers on the red clay courts of their parents' native Czech Republic to competing for the Fighting Irish on the green concrete courts at the Champions Club, the sibling duo of Andrew and Bernard Lisy have grown up around tennis, waiting for this year to come.
"We kind of started playing together as a doubles team in middle school," said the elder Lisy, Andrew. "It's always been in the back of our minds like, 'Hey, in high school, I'm going to be a senior, you're going to be a freshman. That's going to be a fun year. We can make a run for state or something.' So that's always been in the back of our heads when we practice."
The brothers' determination to make that run is off to a positive start, as they are flawless in match play so far, including district wins over Chattanooga Christian and Signal Mountain.
"That was a big boost for us," Bernard said. "Especially coming into the Rotary tournament where there's a lot of great players we've been seeing. Last year we saw the Rotary and how many great teams were there, and so we're really looking forward to some good matches there."
The 61st Chattanooga Rotary Tennis Tournament this weekend is the next step in a special year for the Lisy brothers. The well-known tournament will feature some of the best doubles teams in the Chattanooga area and around the region, with teams from Kentucky, Alabama and other parts of Tennessee in attendance.
"I think it will help dramatically because it's the tight matches that you learn from the most, so I'm really looking forward to this Rotary," Andrew said. "We've been pretty locked in. We know how to get each other ready for a match, how to get mentally prepared. Hopefully we'll play our best tennis."
Regardless of how their unblemished record fares against stiff competition, Notre Dame coach Raul Fernandez said any hiccup would just make the Lisys work harder.
Fernandez said seeing them on the court together has been special - like no other sibling duo he's seen - and expects that relationship to translate into success.
"They want to play together, they enjoy playing together - it's a big deal," he said. "I've never had two brothers on the same team, so when I first heard about it, I don't know, but the first time I saw them on the court together, I knew they'd be fine."
Notre Dame will be one of several area teams competing at the Rotary, which begins play at 8:30 a.m. today and Saturday. The boys' and girls' A divisions will be played at Baylor School, boys' B at McCallie and girls' B at GPS.
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com