The 2024 girls varsity tennis season was filled with many highs and very few lows. The season was extremely successful and the team is yet to compete in their biggest match of the year, the Western New England Championships.
The season started in March, and the team made sure to set their goals for the year. “Our written goal was to finish as the number one seed in Western New Englands,” Head Coach Ron Garcia said. “Thankfully, we were able to accomplish this goal, and now we are looking to raise the trophy when it’s all said and done.”
The Wyverns also had a very ambitious goal of beating multiple Founders League teams this season and they were able to accomplish it. This season, the girls beat out Taft, Porters, Ethel Walker, and most notably, defeated Loomis Chaffee away. “Our unwritten goal was to beat Loomis this season,” Coach Garcia said. “Beating Loomis was definitely one of the highlights from our season.”
The 2024 roster was filled with many impressive players who stepped into new roles this year. Freshman Noor Sayej has been a crucial addition to the team. Sayej has gone undefeated in the no. 1 singles spot this season, which is extremely impressive considering she is only a freshman. Along with Sayej, senior Loretta Szych has been another critical player this season. Szych has been phenomenal at the no. 2 singles spot and at the no. 1 doubles spot with Sayej as her partner. Due to her hard work, Szych will be continuing her tennis career at Dickinson College next year.
Coach Garcia has also been very happy with sophomore Alex Doering this season. “Doering plays with lots of heart and effort,” he said. “She is ferocious and very difficult to take on and defeat on the court.” Doering has performed well in many matches this year; however, she most notably pointed out the Kent match when asked about her season. “I was so proud when I was able to win two doubles and three singles in that match,” Doering said. Although the Wyverns lost that match, it was an extremely impressive individual performance from Doering.
On May 18, the Wyverns competed in the first two rounds of Western New Englands, which were hosted at home this year. The Wyverns defeated Berkshire 5-2 and crushed Pingree 5-0. In the finals on May 19, KO crushed St. George’s to become New England champs!
