Determined for Districts: Girls' tennis defeats Pequea Valley, clinches spot at Districts
On September 24, the new L-S girls’ tennis coach dealt with a tough choice: choosing either his family or his team. The number one player for the opposing team is Coach Josh’s sister, and by knowing her tennis talent, the match seemed more nerve racking than most.
The match against Pequea Valley was another success thanks to all of the singles matches; this match was the first match where all four singles players won their match, thus settling in four wins towards our overall score of 5 to 2. This match displayed the intensity from both teams as they both desperately wanted to win. By winning this match, either team would automatically move onto Districts. Since L-S’s defeat to Donegal this past Friday, Pequea Valley and L-S were tied for the spot to move on. All of this pressure definitely took its toll on both the players on and off the courts; many of the JV players were silenced during the match, which usually never happens.
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| Sarah Capoferri |
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| Taylor Capoferri |
With each point the opponent gained, both girls became increasingly frustrated and determined to win. Coach Josh seemed to focus more on the other singles matches more than the top doubles match, as a player noticed. “That must be awkward,” commented Ashley Readinger about the situation that the coach was in by either cheering for his sister or his player. The abnormally large crowd was full of the Riehl relatives, proud Pequea Valley parents, and, of course, Lampeter-Strasburg’s tennis fans. The intense match between Taylor and Lenay was full of deep, powerful hits that made the game increasingly difficult. Although the match was exceedingly close, especially during each point when the score would be deuce, Taylor finished strong by winning both of her singles sets, and adding another win to the overall score. Sarah Capoferri also adds onto the victory for L-S by winning her singles match. The remaining singles matches were conducted by Shirley Drot de Gourville and Lauren Rettew. Lauren was doing extremely well during her sets, and finished strong for another win. Lauren’s victory added onto the overall score, giving L-S the win even before Shirley finished her match. Shirley’s singles match was an equally skilled matched game, that eventually ended in another victory for L-S.
Even though Coach Josh had family at the match, he remained very professional and a great coach to all of the girls during their stressful matches. After Shirley finished her match, everyone on the team was filled with excitement and enthusiasm about making it into Districts. The L-S girls’ tennis team has most definitely put forth the effort and determination to make it this far, and hopefully they will continue in their victories throughout Districts.
--Maggie Johnson, LSNews.org Assistant Sports Editor/Tennis Reporter
Edited: BE
