By Rajan Saha, Staff Reporter
The girls’ varsity tennis team brought home consistent wins, maintaining its dominance this fall season. The team placed first in the Central League and second in both districts and states.
Seniors and captains Katherine Emmanuel and Jennifer He played doubles together and placed first in the Central League, second at districts and third at states. Sophomore Isabelle Emmanuel played singles and placed first in the Central League, third in districts and qualified for states.
During practices, players focused on improving their weaknesses by performing various drills focused on techniques and strategies they needed to work on, as well as playing practice sets to mimic real matches.
The team also saw two new coaches this year: Seth Shore and Merri Gardner. They inherited an experienced group that had won the state title the past two years.
“The strengths of our team was the fact that we had so many people returning from varsity that already won a couple state championships, so they knew exactly what the whole season was like, and they were able to pass that on to all the new players,” Shore, the head coach, said.
Senior Georgia Koelle, captain and doubles player on the team, appreciated that Shore would give and receive feedback from the team. She said that he was able to effectively communicate and guide the team.
“He talked to us a lot about how we felt the standings are and how we would like anything to change for the team” Koelle said. ”He would ask for a lot of recommendations on what he was doing, which was very nice.”
According to junior Sarah Weng, Gardner supported the team and brought positive energy that helped the players.
“Mrs. Gardner is a great assistant coach. She was there when Mr. Shore couldn’t attend, and anyone can tell she loves the sport. She’s so energetic and passionate about it, and she just makes the team experience a lot more enjoyable,” Weng said.
In addition to the dedication the team showed to its practices and matches, the players forged strong bonds with each other throughout the season. As a result, the team said it fostered a supportive environment that helped members succeed.
“The girls genuinely like each other,” Gardner said. “I think that having to travel only together, whether they were freshmen or seniors, gave this team cohesion that was the key to their success.”
Rajan Saha can be reached at [email protected].
