Girls’ varsity tennis made an early season statement against Aragon High School on Tuesday, Sept. 5, taking home a 6-1 victory.
“I think Aragon is the perfect school to play for the first match because it keeps people on their toes, but it’s definitely winnable,” senior Lily Grenier said.
Grenier and junior Natalie Gyde dominated their match, winning 6-2, 6-3 at No.1 doubles. Although the two of them have been tennis partners for two years, this was their first time competing in the top 10, let alone playing in the No. 1 spot. According to head coach Bill Smith, the duo made the biggest leap of anyone on the roster.
The most anticipated performance of the day was that of senior Mila Mulready at No. 1 singles. Mulready’s win was far from guaranteed — she was up against Aragon’s star singles player, senior Varsha Jawadi, who proved to be an equally-matched and challenging competitor. After a long match, Mulready managed to secure a 7-5, 6-4 win.
Sitting right behind her sister at No. 2 singles is freshman Shea Mulready. The younger Mulready started her high school tennis career strong on Tuesday. She grabbed the first set 6-2, narrowly lost the second one 6-7, but hung on to win the tiebreaker 10-7.
Sophomore Samantha Tom, playing in the No. 3 singles spot, found that her mind was her toughest opponent against the Dons. After a sweeping 6-0 victory in her first set, fatigue set in and she began trading points with her opponent before finally claiming a close 6-4 win. Tom attributes her win to the cheers of her teammates sitting on the bench, providing her with the strength and motivation she needed to win the match.
“I just saw everyone cheering me on and they were like, ‘Go Samantha!” Tom said. “So I felt really motivated and empowered to just hit the ball really hard. Tennis is not much of a team sport, but outside on the benches is when everyone can support you and cheer you on.”
Junior Ella Wang also said her mentality held her back, especially with the pressure of competing in a season opener. While she missed a few points, she and her doubles partner sophomore Lyra Sheng, managed to win 6-4, 6-3 in No. 3 doubles.
“We were a little bit nervous going in,” Sheng said. “First game of the season, first time having it so that our points actually mattered whether or not another team wins.”
After their victory over the Dons, the Panthers faced the fearsome Menlo-Atherton High School on Wednesday, who have been the league champions consistently for the past few years. Burlingame lost 4-3, but Smith is optimistic about the team’s future and about how he can help players improve individually.
“Some of the doubles teams I thought played a little passively, doubles has to be played aggressively. You have to play to win,” Smith said. “And in the singles I think [the players] can do better to just plot and plan their tactics. They were out there a while and worked hard, so we just need to play a little more.”
