Written by Coach Austin
The ladies of Deerfield’s Varsity tennis team were back on the courts Wednesday to face off with visiting Suffield Academy. Deerfield’s strong doubles play set the tone early with a repeat of Saturday’s perfect result in the first three matches. Kiki Brainard ’23 and Alex Kelsey earned their first win of the season as a doubles team with a dominant 8-0 result.
Singles offered plenty of intrigue with two of the six matches requiring third sets to reach a decision. At the number one spot, Natalia Sanders took time to hit her stride and found herself down a set. In a truly admirable show of resilience and patience, Natalia adjusted her approach and cruised to a 6-0 second set win. Suffield’s top player dug in and battled back during the third set, tying the breaker twice. Natalia struck two big winners in the final points to seal the win 10-8.
Congratulations to Katherine Pajak and Cami Cushman who earned their first career singles victories at the five and six spots! Pajak’s match, another nailbiter, pushed into a third set with Katherine settling into smart, steady play during the tiebreak to secure the sweep for Deerfield.
The team improves to 3-1 and looks ahead to an away match with Phillips Andover next week.
Individual Results:
Doubles:
- Rao/Pulliam, W 8-0
- Sanders/ Waterfall, W 8-3
- Kiki Brainard/ Alex Kelsey, W 8-0
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles:
- Natalia Sanders, W 2-6, 6-0, 10-8
- Hunter Pulliam, W 6-2, 6-2
- Olivia Waterfall, W Walkover
- Avery Brooker, W 6-0, 6-1
- Katherine Pajak, W 6-1, 2-6, 10-3
- Cami Cushman, W 6-0, 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 6, 2, 4, 1, 5