Girls’ Tennis Bests Choate 8-1

The girls’ varsity A tennis team crushed its match against Choate on Saturday with a score of 8-1. After their tough losses against Andover and Milton last week, Big Red got back into the game, claiming another successful victory for their season.

With the rain, the girls weren’t able to play on the home courts, but they fortunately were able to host their match at the nearby Newburyport Club. Senior Melissa Lu commented on the great plays the team displayed on the courts, despite Choate being a great competition for them. “It was definitely one of the best matches we’ve had all year. The girls brought their all to every point, every deuce and every tiebreaker, and our perseverance paid off big in the end,” she said. “In our doubles matches, our girls were meshing especially well, covering each other and looking out for each other’s weak spots while showing off each other’s strengths.”

Lu added that the singles matches were exceptionally close, with great rallies, emphasizing the “power balls back and forth, winners and amazing saves.” She said, “We were definitely challenged, but each of us has been honing our own games this entire season, gaining consistency, practicing inside-outs, coming to the net, hitting sharper angles and more! The focus and determination of these girls strike me every time.”

Lower Elizabeth Yang also agreed with the team’s excellent performance and commented on the individual strengths in each of the matches. “It just showed how every one of us can work with anybody else on the team. We definitely saw great focus in many singles matches, as Michaela, Katie and Daria’s matches all went to third set super tiebreakers,” she said.

With the success, lower Katie Yang credited it to the strong determination from the players. “We went into the competition feeling some pressure because our match against Choate last season was cancelled, and we were eager to win after our two previous losses against Andover and Milton. I think it was this energy that really compelled us to play aggressively and consistently,” she noted.

Next up in their season will be the Kent School Tournament, beginning on May 13 and lasting the whole weekend. The top four seeds, upper Gabby Gabel, lower Isobel Anderson, and the Yang twins will be traveling to Connecticut to compete in a full day of tennis. Gabel and Anderson will be playing singles, while the Yangs will be playing doubles together.

Gabel detailed their preparation for the tournament. “We have been doing a combination of drills and point play.  The drills have mostly been focused on doubles and volleys as we are working on coming to net more and finishing off points by being aggressive rather than being on defense,” she said.

Looking forward to the rest of the season, Lu hopes that the team reduces their unforced errors. In order improve their consistency, the team has played various drills practicing cross-court and down-the-line shots aiming at cones. The team continues to use specific drills to close their current gaps and have been conditioning throughout the week to build speed, power and stamina.

With the consistent improvement in the games, Lu is proud of all the hard work the players put into every game and the camaraderie between everyone. “We have a very fun, competitive group of girls who support each other and push each other during every practice. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s a bond you can’t get anywhere besides a team,” she said.