Girls Varsity Tennis Dominates Deerfield Away from Home 15-3

The girls team in action on Exeter’s courts in the Thompson Field House Courtesy of @exeterathletics

By ALLEGRA LAI, V MURDAYA, ISHAAN SINGH, and MEGHAN TATE ZEE

On April 20, the Big Red girls’ varsity tennis team emerged victorious against Deerfield Academy on their rival’s own turf, with a total tally of 15-3. This was the first time Exeter had triumphed over Deerfield since having lost to them the previous year.

On the long ride to Deerfield, the team remained in high spirits, planning out their matches. “We were talking a lot about our doubles plays and our mindset is to really just connect with our doubles partner and keep cheering everyone on,” prep Naomi Moskovich said. “And also to use our strategies that  we have worked on in practice to try to beat Deerfield and not get into our heads during singles.”

In terms of pre-match rituals, the pep talk from Coach Nancy Bulkley helps get the team into the collective mindset heading into the game. “I think one of the most important things that happens is the talk with Coach Nancy pre-game. It’s important that as a team we approach the game with the same mindset. We get to have a little bit of a pep talk, a little bit of encouragement of what we need to do, and have us be in the right area,” prep Aarti Raju said.

Lower Mathilde Senter gave some insight into how the team practices. “The team prepares for upcoming games by doing intensive drills, doubles practice with our respective partners, and also challenge matches to make sure everybody is where they should be on the ladder.”

The girls’ varsity team exceeded their expectations for the match. Senter stated, “As for the tennis team, we expected it to be a closer [match] than it was.” This was in combination with the fact that they had lost 2-7 the previous year. However, it was the opposite, as the Varsity A team won 8-1, while the Varsity B team won 7-2.

When asked about some of the game’s highlights, Moskovich answered, “...Lianna [Yang was] my doubles partner. We were doing really well with our doubles game and it [was] really fun. We all did very well.”

She went on to add, “We felt fulfilled. We worked hard. We worked hard in practice every day…it was just a great victory.”

Upper Freddie Chang shared about the team dynamic this season. “The team vibe is really good and friendly, we have a lot of team dinners which has made us closer.”

The girls varsity team is split into two groups, Varsity A and Varsity B, and have separate ladders. Together, they boast a great tennis record so far this season, totaling a 7-1 record. They have improved immensely as compared to last year, when their record was 9-7. Some of the team’s upcoming matches include battles against Milton and Choate. 

Many players on the team are looking forward to the rest of the season, including Moskovich. “I’m excited to play [Choate] because I’ve never seen [the campus] before. It’s three and a half hours away, so hopefully we will do welI. I love doubles so I think that’ll be fun against tough competitors like Choate,” she said.

Chang also mentioned the team’s hopes to make a pitstop at Raising Cane’s as a team to celebrate their wins in the future. “I am looking forward to hopefully getting Cane’s after our Milton game. I’m also looking forward to the weather getting better so practice is in the sun!”