On Thursday, May 30th, the Girls’ Varsity Tennis Team played their last match of the 2018-19 season in an away game against Belmont, defeating them overall with a score of 5-0.

First singles player, sophomore Nithya Sastry dominated in the first set of the match against Belmont’s Simona Casale, pulling a 6-3 win. However, in the second set, several unforced errors from Sastry led to a score of 2-6 in favor of Casale. A ten point tiebreaker was played to conclude the match, with Sastry pulling a 10-3 win. Sastry remarked that in the tiebreaker, she decided to play one point at a time, as well as develop a more optimistic attitude in hopes of winning the game. 

Freshman Ankita Akanksha, the team’s second singles player, was victorious against her opponent, Jackie Jiang, in a quick 6-0, 6-1 match. As the first player to finish her match, her level of play was superior to Jiang’s. She was able to put pressure on Jiang with offensive shots, and powerful serves. Third singles player, junior Shivali Shrivastava pulled a win against Irene Sun with a score identical to Akanksha’s.

As for the doubles teams, seniors Cailin Cannuscio and Rachel Rengpraphun defeated Valentina Reynolds and Jules Crocker with a score of 6-1, 6-0. Both Rengpraphun and Cannuscio played an incredibly consistent, offensive game, placing their opponents in a stressful situation, with them being unable to dominate in the match. Seconds doubles senior Shreya Nakhawa and Kristen Su played against Maya Logan and Cassie Wang. Nakhawa’s consistency and ability to scramble to return balls of any difficulty, paired with Su’s service game and power, resulted in a final score of 6-2, 6-0.

“We had really good shots, and we were able to move them around a lot. There were also a good amount of volleys we were able to put away, and overall, we just hit a bunch of winners they [the opposing doubles team] weren’t able to return,” Su said.

The seniors of the Girls’ Tennis Team showed content with ending their high school tennis career on a positive note, and reflected on the 2018-29 season, as well as seasons past.

“I’ve been on many sports teams throughout my life, and I’ve honestly never been a part of a more accepting, energetic, and thoughtful team. It truly felt like a second family and I’m grateful to have been a part of it. All of it. It’s been a whirlwind of a season, but I’m so proud of everyone for stepping up and putting [their] everything into all of their games. Having teammates who are willing to fight for every point is worth experiencing no matter if we win or lose. I’m just glad I was able to meet others who enjoy the sport as much as I do,” co-captain Rengpraphun said.

The team ended the season with a conclusive score of all matches being 8-8, one win short of making tournament. Their season will end on Monday.