Deerfield Varsity Girls Drop Hard Fought Match at Andover

About fourteen hours after their first outing of the season, Deerfield’s Varsity Tennis girls were on the bus to Phillips Andover for what promised to be a hotly contested match. The sun was out and shining, but Friday’s high winds seemed to have chased the bus down Route Two. Both teams needed to account for the elements again for this afternoon contest.
Andover jumped out to early and commanding leads at all three doubles positions. After the first few changeovers, the Deerfield ladies found their game and battled back. Isha Rao and Hunter Pulliam dug in, using strategic ball placement and expert movement to even the match at four games each. Steady baseline play and miraculous volleys helped propel the pair to the improbable comeback victory! Congratulations to Hunter on her first career Deerfield win!
Third doubles followed a similar arc, with Emma Weech and new team member, Evan Burkett settling in and making the requisite adjustments to claw their way back and win Deerfield its second point of the day. Credit goes to Andover’s second doubles pair whose steady net play and precise overheads proved to be the winning formula on Saturday.
Unsurprisingly, Andover offered up tremendous competition at all singles positions. It would not be until the girls in blue had swept every opening singles set that Deerfield’s squad found its footing. With every player facing an uphill climb in the second set, the team was determined to make this a long afternoon. Isha Rao and Evan Burkett battled valiantly to capture their second sets 6-0 and 6-4 respectively. This team is learning to make adjustments in tight spots. Isha’s efforts resulted in Deerfield’s third and final point of the day as she clinched her match in a third set super-breaker, 10-5.
Andover’s squad is a formidable and deep team. Both teams played hard and demonstrated excellent character in this competitive match-up.
Deerfield’s ladies look forward to an away match at The Berkshire School on Friday, April 30th.

Final Result: Andover 6, Deerfield 3
Individual Results
Doubles:

1. Rao/ Pulliam, W 8-5
2. Waterfall/Gavros, L 4-8
3. Weech/ Burkett, W 8-5

Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1

Singles:

1. Isha Rao, W 4-6, 6-0, 10-5
2. Hunter Pulliam, L 2-6, 2-6
3. Emma Weech, L 1-6, 4-6
4. Olivia Waterfall, L 1-6, 0-6
5. Daphne Gavros, L 1-6, 1-6
6. Evan Burkett, L 4-6, 6-4, 6-10

Order of Finish: 4, 5, 2, 3, 6, 1