“Huzzah!” The token phrase of the Varsity Tennis team, it represents the team’s triumphant season. There are 13 members on the varsity team this year. The three seniors are Maya Kowalska, the team captain, Fressa Ni, and Rachel Delie, along with Leena Kuittinen, Maya Zhitomirsky, Noori Nagra, Gabriella Harris, Sejal Patel, Flora Kim, Katharine Coleman, Ines Manbachi Moreno, Zoe Goykhman, and Christina Makris. Elena Harris, the Head Coach, and Chéri Mellor, are more than proud of their players and their accomplishments.
The team started the season strong, with a 7-0 win against Calvary Christian School on September 2nd. Although we suffered two losses against Peddie and Friends’ Central, multiple wins were gained by the team. In the Friends Schools League, the team holds a strong record of 7 wins against Friends Select, Abington Friends, Moorestown Friends, Westtown, Germantown Friends, ANC, and The Shipley School, only suffering one loss against Friends Central. Also, in the FSL Tournament, Maya Kowalska, the team captain, was able to make it to the Singles Finals, after winning three matches.
After an amazing season, the team made it to the FSL Playoffs, against Shipley. On October 27th, despite the cool weather, many fans and friends showed up to support the tennis team. Leena Kuittinen, Maya Zhitomirsky, along with Sejal Patel and Gabriella Harris, were able to take straight sets wins against the Shipley players. Having fought hard throughout the match, Noori Nagra and Fressa Ni, the first doubles, ended the last, defeating the Shipley doubles 7-6, 7-5. Therefore, George School was able to advance to the FSL Championships against Friends Central on the very next day, October 28th. Elena Harris, the head coach said, “Getting to the championship was no easy task as the team had to beat Shipley on two occasions back to back.”
The Finals day was a chilly Friday, with almost every member of the tennis team present, either to play or to cheer their fellow teammates up. Maya Kowalska and Leena Kuittinen, the first and second singles respectively, swept their opponent and gained two wins. Maya Zhitomirsky, the third singles, along with Sejal Patel and Gabriella Harris, the second doubles pair, lost despite fighting hard against Friends Central. Fressa Ni and Noori Nagra, the first doubles pair, had an epic match which lasted more than three hours. Taking the first set easily, Fressa and Noori encountered some difficulties against the Friends’ Central players in the second set, losing the set in a very close tiebreaker, after Fressa Ni fell to the ground and injured her knee. Nevertheless, Fressa didn’t give up, instead, the pair fought even harder in the third set. Although the pair lost eventually, we could not be more proud of them. They demonstrated strong sportsmanship and supported each other, fought hard even under disadvantageous circumstances.
Lastly, Elena Harris, the head coach of the team, commented and praised the team’s performance this season: “Having finished the season overall 12-3 and 8-2 in the league, this team practiced daily with discipline, focus and a desire to be the top in the league. Through this journey they became increasingly accountable to each other and to their mission of finishing the season as strong as possible. As a result, this team found themselves on a Friday afternoon in a championship match.” Elena then commented about the championship, “To walk away from the championship as runner up was not the ultimate prize for a season so severely trained for but, as the final match concluded after three and a half hours on court, the team rushed their mates on the court who had just been overcome after a hard fought match. This group in true fashion encircled one another with arms linked over shoulders and remained on the court long after the home team and families of FC left to go home.” The team spirit was touching and heart-rendering.
In the end, Elena praised the team, “The Girls Varsity Tennis Team of 2022 will be recognized and remembered not only for going deep into the playoffs but ultimately, and more importantly, for their ability to see beyond wins and losses, and rather recognize that this was their moment to humble themselves as they saw their ability and contribution as an integral piece of making an astounding group of young women into a whole. Make no mistake, each and every player of this 13 member team was necessary, important and vital for its success. They had the will, and they did it.”
