Deerfield Battles Andover on the Road
The ladies in green took the long ride out to Andover on Wednesday for an afternoon match with this perennial heavy-hitting squad. The match got off to a rocky start as an unexpected rainstorm blew through and forced the teams to head indoors. After a second warm-up, doubles play started. Deerfield’s varsity girls found themselves in a hotly contested fight from the start. These matches all featured fast, smart, and gutsy tennis. The first doubles team pulled off a comeback and sealed their win 9-7. Second doubles pairing, Sanders and Waterfall, held off an eleventh-hour effort from their Andover competitors to earn DA its second point of the day, 8-6.
Singles featured more top-flight exchanges. Daphne Gavros overcame an early deficit to put Deerfield on the board again with a convincing 8-4 win. Isha Rao extended her unbeaten streak at one singles with a dominant 8-3 performance.
The match ended up tied 4-4 as the girls entered a fourth hour of play! Natalia Sanders orchestrated a methodical comeback after falling behind 1-4. Eventually tying and taking the lead, Natalia showed her teammates what grit and patience can do. Credit goes to Andover’s number two singles player who ultimately won this contest in a tie breaker.
The team turns its attention to a home match with visiting Hotchkiss on Saturday.
Individual Results:
Doubles:
- Rao/ Pulliam, W 9-7
- Sanders/ Waterfall, W 8-6
- Gavros/ Brooker, L 4-8
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles:
- Isha Rao, W 8-3
- Natalia Sanders, L 8-8 (4-7)
- Hunter Pulliam, L 4-8
- Olivia Waterfall, L 4-8
- Daphne Gavros, W 8-4
- Avery Brooker, L 5-8