The Randolph Girls Tennis team completed its 2025 season with a 9-9 overall record, after falling to Ramapo in the NJSIAA quarterfinals on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Although the team’s overall record dipped from last year, the Rams showed significant growth throughout the season–thanks in part to the addition of five new varsity players: junior Katie Soo Hoo, sophomores Samantha Fabre, Jillian Garcia and Sienna Marsala and senior Emma Maqsudi.

Early-Season Challenges

The season started off with tough competition from Chatham and Sparta, ending in back-to-back losses on Aug. 28 and 29.  

“With five new players in the varsity lineup, this is a process,” head coach Dan DiNozzi said. “Sometimes it is just about forcing your opponent to hit one more ball, even if you don’t hit the best shot yourself.”  

Mid-Season Momentum

Randolph regrouped, and it paid off in the next match against Madison, where the Rams earned a welcome 4-1 victory on Sept. 2. The team continued to shine in the following two matches, dominating Pope John 5-0 on Sept. 5 and defeating Mt. Olive 3-2 on Sept. 8. 

“We started to learn how to play winning tennis as the season went along,” DiNozzi said. “This is what made us much more competitive.”

Late-Season Ups and Downs

The Rams’ late season was marked by close battles and standout wins. They lost close matches to Mountain Lakes on Sept. 10 and Sparta on Sept. 12 , but bounced back with a strong 4-1 victory against Roxbury on Sept. 15.  

Next up, the team made it to the county semifinals on Sept. 26. At second doubles, Maqsudi and Marsala fought hard and pulled through in the quarterfinals against Mountain Lakes. The team advanced but ultimately fell to Chatham in a difficult semifinals match.  

“The best part about being on the team this year is the personal wins and improvements that I saw in my own playing as the season progressed, and the long-lasting bond that I made with my teammates during the long practices and bus rides,” Maqsudi reflected. 

On Sept. 30, the girls won their first match in the NJSIAA tournament, beating Morris Knolls with the help of strong performances at first singles by junior captain Ava Pinho and at second singles by senior captain Sophie Visser.  

The team advanced to the quarterfinals, facing Ramapo in a tight match on Oct. 7. Maqsudi and Marsala took first place in second doubles and Visser followed with a victory in second singles. Pinho fought hard in first singles but unfortunately fell during the tiebreaker. 

Season Reflections

The NJSIAA quarterfinals loss ended the season for a team that had continued to grow more competitive and win more matches with each passing month.

“I was most proud of the growth that this team made this year,” DiNozzi said.“We had a lot of close losses early in the season, but we truly improved across our entire lineup, and we proved that we could compete with anybody.”