The Randolph Girls Varsity Tennis team had a busy and competitive week, going 1-2 against Madison, Mendham and Morris Hills. The Rams started the week strong, defeating Madison, 5-0, on Tuesday, Sept. 19, but then lost to both Mendham, 4-1, on Wednesday, Sept. 20, and Morris Hills, 3-2, on Friday, Sept. 22.
“We lost our whole varsity team from last year due to graduation, so we needed seven new starters this year,” said Head Coach Daniel DiNozzi. “It wasn’t easy to fill all of those positions, but I don’t think we’ve viewed it as replacing those seniors.”
The current team is already seeing some of the new players step up. Freshman Ava Pinho at second singles and sophomore Sophie Visser at third singles have already proven themselves, both coming out with a win against Madison.
Juniors Lucy Girardi and Ava Olsen enjoyed a winning streak at first doubles, dominating every match they played this week. Junior Amy Myerson and senior Keira Hutchison also performed well in second doubles, winning two out of three matches this week.
Although tennis relies on individual performances to win, the team acts as one, with players constantly supporting each other. “As soon as we finished our individual match, we would go cheer on our teammates who were still playing, no matter what the score was,” said junior Noelle Thompson, who plays first singles. Thompson said she focuses on herself emotionally when competing but can always turn to a teammate when needed.
“I’m always trying to cheer everyone on and motivate them as much as I can, especially because tennis is such a mental game,” added senior Captain Cassie Saltz. Due to an injury, Saltz is not able to play, but she uses her time to motivate her teammates, who are new to the varsity environment. Saltz said she is optimistic about the team’s performance this season.
“I have a lot of confidence in this team and believe that they can come out on top next time,” DiNozzi said. “We’ve played hard and haven’t backed down from any challenges.”
The team is now 3-4 for the season and hopes to improve that record today, Tuesday, Sept. 26, when they play @ Montville, starting at 4 p.m.
