Deerfield’s varsity tennis squad traveled to Concord, NH, for an afternoon match against St. Paul’s School on Wednesday. The team entered the match focused on taking one point at a time—a mindset that paid off, with the green team delivering a decisive win.
Per league rules, singles matches were played first. Deerfield had to dig deep to close out wins on several courts. Alix Smith, after cruising through the first set, found herself down 0-3 in the second. She refocused on strategy and consistency to win six of the final seven games and secure the victory. Travis Gerst faced similar second-set resistance at six singles but found a path to victory in a third-set tiebreaker.
Not to be left out of the drama, Jeanne Mei Larouche split sets with her St. Paul’s opponent and delivered a decisive third-set win at the top singles position. Blake Coleman’s fourth-singles victory featured a gritty first-set tiebreak and a 7-5 decision in the second set. Maggie Molson powered her way through two tight sets, winning with consistent and dominant baseline play.
The team aims to stay in the win column on Saturday against visiting Loomis.
Individual Results:
Doubles:
- Devon Coleman/ Maggie Molson: L 4-8
- Jeanne Mei Larouche/ Blake Coleman: W 8-1
- Alix Smith/ Travis Gerst: L 6-8
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles:
- J. Larouche, W 6-0, 3-6, 7-3
- D. Coleman, L 3-6, 5-7
- M. Molson, W 6-4, 6-4
- B. Coleman, W 6-6 (7-2), 7-5
- A. Smith, W 6-2, 6-4
- T. Gerst, W 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 5, 2, 6, 4