by Alok Ganguly
Public Relations
Becoming DLC Champions is one major accomplishment for a team. Achieving that feat twice in a row is an even more impressive honor, and one that belongs to the WA Girls’ Tennis team.
The team was able to win their final match of the season, making them Co-Champs with Concord Carlisle.
This victory is extremely significant for the team, considering that in the 40 years that the team has existed, they have only won the championship twice.
The team attributed much of its success to their coach, Tracy Capone. Junior Janice Huang said, “[Capone’s] skill paired with the depth of our team was the real key to our success. Wherever we [were placed in the lineup] all the players hit the ground running and didn’t let themselves get discouraged. Because we all had around the same level of skill, [Capone] could rely on any one of us to play and perform well.”
The team is also looking forward to playing next year, despite the loss of 4 seniors.
Even without the seniors, the girls welcomed the addition of several “superstar” freshmen according to Huang. The girls hope that they will still remain a powerhouse with the freshmen.
In reality, the freshmen were able to control the team’s success. Occupying the top two spots on the team, Claire Yu and Veronica Opp have been a major factor of the girls’ victory on the court. According to the Capone, Opp has been undefeated the entire season.
On Friday, May 30th, the girls were able to win their match against Methuen with a score of 5-0, shutting down the team entirely. According to sophomore Sydney Kim, they were more than excited to advance to the semi-finals.
After their victory against Methuen, they then moved on to face Lexington at Robinson courts. The match took place on one of the hottest days of the year so far, with the temperature clocking in at 85 degrees Fahrenheit, but the girls were not discouraged. Incited by cheering from the family and friends who came to support the team, the girls were able to win the match and take hold of a spot in the finals against Andover.
I think we can do it. We work really well with one another and that has a lot to do with how we play on the court. […] I’m looking forward to next year, and the rest of the girls are too.
— Nicole Huang
Their final game was Wednesday, June 4, against Andover, and the girls lost 3-2. While this defeat was a major hit to the team’s morale, they were still proud of how far they had come, and are already focusing on the next season.
Below you can see a short slideshow of the girls during one of their matches.
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