WAGT moves on to semi-finals
June 4, 2017
On Saturday June 3, Westford Academy’s Girls’ Tennis team, know as WAGT, defeated Andover with a score of 5-0. This was the first round and also the quarter finals of the Dual County League (DCL) championship.
Senior Andee Song and Sophomore Caitlin Cannuscio, who play second doubles, played long points in each of their games throughout the first set of their match. They were consistently within a point of their opponent in every game, creeping ahead in the first three but falling behind the next two. Eventually they were both able to pull through a win of 6-4 in their first set. Their second set blew by faster with them winning 6-1, giving them an ultimate score of 2-0, and were able to win their match.
Juniors, Victoria Donescu and Manisha Ramprasad, who played first doubles, had a quick win of 6-1 in the first set of their match. Their second set proved to be more challenging while as they were leading by one point throughout more than half the games. They were able to win with a score of 6-3, ultimately winning their match 2-0.
Senior and Co-captain Veronica Op, who plays first singles, had a relatively easy win with her being the first player to finish her match. She led her games throughout both sets with a score of 6-0 and finished with a final score of 2-0.
Senior and Co-captain Claire Yu, who played second singles, also had a quicker match compared to her teammates. She was able to win both her first and second sets with a score of 6-0, which allowed her to win her match 2-0.
The longest and toughest match of the day was freshman Brooke Leonard’s, who played third singles. Although the last one to finish, Leonard was leading throughout her first set and won it with a score of 6-2. Her second set posed more of a challenge, with her and her opponent being within a point of each other throughout its entirety. She eventually lost her second set with a score of 7-5. Her match ultimately came down to a tie breaker, with Leonard winning. She was able to clinch her victory in the end with a final score of 2-1, giving WA a perfect score of 5-0 against Andover.
During the match, a 15 minute break was held when it started to rain, allowing the courts to dry. The players of WAGT continuously cheered on their teammates throughout the entirety of the match, showing their support and love for each other. Almost all the players had brought food for everyone to share at the end. Assistant Coach, John Nidzgorski had hair elastics for the girls who forgot them, showing how everyone helped each other out.
“I’m glad we didn’t under estimate our opponents and played the ball with all our effort,” Yu said.
This year, eight towns qualified for the DCL championship and WAGT’s next match will be against Newton South. It will be the semi-final round of the DCL championship.
“Today was a really positive step for us and is going to prepare us for Newton South,” Op said.
