BY GABY MALANGA AND FRANK PAPEO
The girls tennis team has made a huge improvement from last season to this season. With one game left to play, the team has already netted two more wins overall and in the conference than they earned last year.
Coming off a rough season in 2021, the tennis team has shown tremendous improvement mentally and physically. “With the many matches we have played, I have seen a major improvement for the players,” Coach Evan Wigdortz mentioned.
“Tennis is mentally a tough sport, and it can be hard to keep ourselves together a lot of the time, but Sarah and I are good at encouraging each other to play at our best potential,” said junior Shriya Kapoor. Shriya has been a dominant force on the tennis court, lining up next to her doubles partner, Sarah Amin.
The tennis team has experienced thrilling matches throughout the year. “One of the best highlights of the season so far would be beating Edison in a very close match,” said Kapoor. “We were tied 2-2, and my doubles partner, Sarah, and I won our match in a very close tiebreaker that led us to a full team victory. It was a great moment for the team, as well as Sarah and me.” The win against Edison began a run of five wins in seven games for the team.
Team captain Amin, the only senior on the team, has been described as not only a leader, but an outstanding teammate. “[serving as captain] felt like a big responsibility at the beginning because I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to properly help them. But, now, I am much more confident and feel I was successful in leading the team,” Amin stated.
That senior leadership proved crucial due to the youth of the varsity team, which sets the team up for additional growth going in to next year. “Playing at a varsity level as a sophomore makes me feel more confident in my ability and it reminds me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it,” Gabriela Kotowicz said.
The tennis team finishes the team competition portion of the season against Edison at home this afternoon at 4pm. With many younger players returning next fall, they hope to finish the season strong and build on this season’s success.
Posted on 10/25/22
Photos by Frank Papeo
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