Girls' Tennis Sweeps NMH to Officially Start Season

Girls’ varsity A tennis swept the scoreboard last Saturday, coming off the courts with a 9-0 victory against Northfield Mount Hermon at their first official meet of the season. The girls displayed their prowess on the court with the flawless win of six singles and three doubles matches, with a grand total of only 13 games lost in the singles matches.Senior Anna Gruen believed that the team’s mentality was a significant factor in helping Big Red pull off such a big win to kick off the season.“Last year, we beat NMH 5-4, so we knew that we would have to be really focused in order to get another win this year,” Gruen said. “I think what really helped us was the confidence we had as a team when we walked out on the court, and that's what really made the difference this year and helped us sweep NMH.”Senior co-captain Nicole Yoon agreed, adding another reason for the team’s successes. “Even though we had a couple seniors missing, we were able to handle the change well because our team has so much skill and experience overall,” she said.Lower Dana Tung believed that the preparations that led up to this first official meet also helped the team a lot. “I think the two scrimmages before this prepared the team well against NMH, especially in getting used to playing doubles with our partners,” she said. “Overall, everyone did such an amazing job on the courts and I am really proud of the team.”The performance on the courts was nothing short of athletic excellence. Yoon, who played number two singles, and lower Callan Malone, who played number four singles, came off with 6-1 and 6-0 wins, respectively, dominating their NMH opponents.Most of the matches were comfortable victories for the Big Red players, and the highlight of the day came from prep Taylor Jean-Jacques, who crushed her opponent in straight sets, 6-0; 6-0, not relinquishing even a single game. Jean-Jacques, who hails from Greenwich, Connecticut, has been a remarkable addition to the girls’ varsity tennis team, rising to the number one spot on the ladder as the youngest member of the team.Jean-Jacques said that she realizes the position that she has been put in. “I am proud to play number one but also recognize the responsibility I have to my teammates,” she said. “I am honored but will now also be looked upon to pull in the wins for our team.”Yoon hoped that with the majority of the season ahead, the team would be able to carry on its condition and positive attitude. “We were very confident out on the court, so that's something we definitely want to continue in our later matches against harder teams,” she said.Gruen agreed. “I think we are ready for some more big wins this season. We are a really strong team this year and we are working hard during our practices, so we can do well in our matches,” she said.