Dreary weather dampens final Girls' Tennis match, L-S wins nonetheless

Photo by Maya Pieters

The match today began with a dreary start; everyone had expected the match to be postponed due to the on and off rain showers. The athletic director, Ms. Lippy, unfortunately declared that the match could not be postponed since leagues begin on Monday. Reluctantly, the girls wrapped up in their rain gear to play their last tennis match. All the senior players being recognized before the match for senior night, many of the parents walked around the courts in the rain picking up leaves for the impending matches.

The match instantly began with a win for a doubles team; the Northern Lebanon team only had five girls, and thus had to forfeit one doubles match. The number one doubles of the Capoferri sisters was a slippery slope to the victory; Taylor continuously slipped on the wet courts as she played. “She cannot afford an injury; leagues are on Monday!” commented Mrs. Rettew. As all the parents and team members anxiously watched the girls slide across the courts, the number two doubles was quickly winning. Lauren Rettew and Sami Williams, the number two doubles players were doing exceedingly well throughout their match, and overall won their golden match with a score of 8-0. “Lauren and Sami are killing it!” announced Sam Tran, who was astounded by their golden match. As soon as Lauren and Sami finished their match, singles began, even though the Capoferri sisters were still playing doubles. The Capoferris’ match started out with a rough start as they were losing, but they made a comeback to win 8-4. During their match, Sarah almost decked the opponent, who was at least 6 feet tall, causing her to drop to the ground to avoid the collision.

As the athletic director returned to the courts, she brought a stack of towels for the girls playing in the rain. The match was not during the most ideal weather, especially for both senior night and the last match before leagues. “This is an awful last match,” acknowledged Ashley Readinger, who was watching the matches with others from within their cars. Once Taylor and Sarah won their doubles match, their victory contributed to the team winning all three doubles. As soon as they finished, they both took a brief break before beginning singles. 

While they finished their doubles match, both Shirley Drot de Gourville and Lauren Rettew won their first sets. Taylor’s singles match was another challenging match for the day. Both players were hitting the ball powerfully and near the out-of-bounds lines. This unusual match was between Taylor, and Northern Lebanon’s exchange student from Denmark, Maya. During their match, Maya refused to accept any of Taylor’s calls when the ball went out-of-bounds, by questioning her so much that before the first set was over she screamed, “I can’t play her!” In response to this, both Coach Josh and the Northern Lebanon coach went out onto the court, standing on either side of the net posts to verify if the players’ calls were accurate. While the disagreements continued, both Shirley and Lauren won their second sets, adding onto the team’s overall victory. Sarah’s match was another quick defeat. She easily won both of her sets, while Taylor was fighting for every point. Taylor finally won her first set around 6:00 pm, and the first set began at 5:00. 

The 2015-2016 Girls' Tennis team poses on a
sunnier day for a quick team photo. Photo by Maya Pieters.

The entire team was lined up and down the fence barrier, huddled together in blankets and raincoats to cheer on their number one player. Taylor’s opponent, Maya won the second set, which meant that they girls had to go on into a tiebreak. The tiebreak was an extremely close game with a score of 6-6 until Maya finally scored, creating the only loss of the match for L-S. Overall, both the team and the coaches were extremely proud to have won another match 6-1, and to continue into leagues the following week.

--Maggie Johnson, LSNews.org Assistant Sports Editor/Tennis Reporter

Edited: BE