By Jessie Lang ’18, Sports Section Editor
The Country Day girls’ tennis team recently finished another incredible season with a series of victories and strong performances. Both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams boast skilled, solid players. Key wins for Varsity this season include a 4-1 against Madeira, in which doubles players Valen Zalants ’19 and Maggie Wright ’19 won their matches 6-1 and 6-1. Priya Chopra ’18 also emerged victorious from a three-hour match against Madeira. The girls’ varsity team also found success in their 3-2 match against McNicholas High School. Mia Masterson ’19 won her matches 6-0 and 6-0, as did doubles players Zalants and Wright. Varsity also won 3-2 against Summit Country Day, Sylvia Nica ’20 the deciding match. Chopra won her matches 7-5 and 6-3 against Summit. Other spectacular wins for Varsity include a 4-1 victory against Anderson, and 3-2 against Milford. Junior Varsity wins include a 5-0 against Madeira, a 3-2 against CHCA, and 2nd place in the GCTCA Coaches Tournament.
The girls’ tennis team had a multitude of fierce individual performances in the OHSAA Sectional Tournament. Sophia Isadore ’18 won her first match 6-2 and 6-0, while Radha Mangu ’19 won hers 6-1 and 6-2. Doubles partners Zalants and Wright beat Madeira 6-0 and 6-3, and beat Blanchester 6-0 and 6-1. Katherine Alsfelder ’17 and Elizabeth Johnson ’17 won 6-2 and 6-0 against New Richmond, respectively and Alsfelder continued to be victorious, winning against Clinton Masse 6-1 while Johnson also boasted a 6-2 triumph over that same team. They earned 3rd place in sectionals, advancing to districts. Masterson emerged successful against New Richmond, with a score of 6-0 and 6-0, and went on to win 6-0 and 6-2 against McNicholas. She was awarded the OHSAA sectional singles title, also moving on to districts.
When asked about her feelings on the season overall, Masterson remarked, “I thought we had a great season this year. We improved a lot”. On her favorite memory from this season, she commented, “We made a lot of memories traveling to the matches and the tournament”. The team comradery and friendship is visible among the girls, along with their talent and passion for the sport. The girls’ tennis team looks forward to another successful season next year.
