On Wednesday afternoon, girls tennis celebrated their eleven seniors in matches against Dakota Ridge. The eleven seniors on the team are Paris Lyons, Perri Deshler, Monica Piña-Almeida, Courtney Urbanek, Samantha Mantel, Sasha Maxwell, Gabi Leonard, Kate Loving, Lily Griffin, Audrey Drakos, and Tilly Beaulieu.
The afternoon started with ceremonies for each senior. Coach Shelly Russell announced how long each senior has been involved in tennis and their plans after high school. Players were accompanied by family members, friends, and fellow teammates. Then, each player shook hands with their opponents before matches started.
Singles included senior Gabi Leonard, junior Addison Rinehart, and sophomore Eva Brendlinger. Doubles included seniors Lily Griffin and Courtney Urbanek, seniors Kate Loving and Sasha Maxwell, seniors Samantha Mantel and Perri Deshler, juniors Molly Ozimek and Vananh Phan, and freshman Emily Lesem and sophomore Annie Fox.
The matches were close and the team performed well, however they came up short, ultimately losing 3-4. Despite this, senior captain Samantha Mantel has positive thoughts on the competition.
“I had a lot of fun playing. Me and my partner lost but I don’t really think it matters because we had fun playing and that’s all that really matters,” said Mantel.
Senior captain Gabi Leonard reflects on the season and the growth of the girls tennis program.
“It’s been really fun, there’s a lot of new people on the team and it’s a really big team, so it’s been fun managing that, all of the new faces, and getting to see everyone play and advance,” said Leonard.
“I’m really glad that it’s been growing and I think that Mr. Kennicutt and Mrs. Russell have been doing a really good job.”
Congratulations to girls tennis and all of their talented seniors!
