Deerfield’s varsity girls took the trip south to Waterbury on Saturday to outrun the drizzle in Massachusetts. The ladies in green played disciplined and smart tennis to earn a dominant win over this perennially tough opponent.
Shuffling the doubles lineup once again, Deerfield didn’t miss a beat. The team earned three decisive doubles victories during the first hour of play. New pairing, Alex Kelsey and Avery Brooker closed out points with aggressive net play and tactical ball placement. Their 8-3 win put Deerfield ahead three points before singles began.
Singles brought more impressive play from Big Green. Deerfield won positions two through four comfortably. Number one singles supplied more than enough drama for the whole day. Isha Rao found herself in an epic battle at the top spot. Taft’s leading player brought one of the strongest first serves in high school tennis to the court. Isha needed to be nearly perfect when on serve and to snatch up every opportunity while trying to break her opponent. After 90 minutes, the score was even at eight a piece, sending this match to a tie break. Isha initially fell behind 1-5, but slowly ground her way back as her teammates watched with bated breath. With both players at the net, Isha struck a winner and took the tie break 8-6!
The squad improves to 2-1, and will be home for the week with visiting Suffield and Exeter on Wednesday and Saturday respectively.
Individual Results:
Doubles:
- Rao/Gavros, W 8-5
- Sanders/ Waterfall, W 8-4
- Brooker/ Alex Kelsey, W 8-3
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles:
- Isha Rao, W 8-8 (8-6)
- Natalia Sanders, W 8-1
- Olivia Waterfall, W 8-0
- Daphne Gavros, W 8-4
- Avery Brooker, W 8-1
- Katherine Pajak, L 3-8
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1