Action began this week for Melrose
Published April 5, 2019
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The 2019 Melrose High Lady Raider tennis team returns to the court this week. And so far, Mother Nature is cooperating.
“It’s the first time in 20 years we have been outside on week 1,” reports Melrose head coach Deb Deacon.
Melrose kicked their season off this week on the road against Arlington on Tuesday. But fans can watch their first home match on Tuesday, April 9 against Woburn.
This year they will be led by captains Annie Kavanaugh and Maeve McGillicuddy, who will lead a team of 33 strong. The duo have gotten off to a quick start this season. On Tuesday, when Melrose kicked off their season in Arlington, they took a win in 2nd singles in a competitive 3 set match against opponents Julia Alesse and Miu Kikuchi.
GRACE SANDERSON will see the #1 singles position for the returning MHS girl’s tennis team. (file photo)
“It was a barn burner that saw Annie and Maeve off to a slow start, losing the first set 0-6, but they got their focus and composure back and won the 2nd set 6-0,” reports Deacon. “Their opponents didn’t go away and forced Maeve and Annie to use their court placement and strong teamwork and stellar communication skills to fight to a 6-6 tiebreaker before winning the tiebreaker for the match at 7-3.”
Last season, Melrose fell shy of qualifying for postseason, and according to Deacon, they’ve shifted their focus on remaining competitive in the small division and making small strides like the ones on Tuesday.
“The larger schools are always a challenge and tough competition,” she says. “But we have great match play experiences with our small league teams, except for Burlington as they are always strong.”
In singles, expect to see sophomore Grace Sanderson in the #1 spot. On Tuesday, she served well and hit some solid groundstrokes before falling to Arlington senior Meagan Carney 0-6, 2-6. Second singles will be manned by Christiana Csicsek. She had her first go at the spot against opponent Alevia Doyle on Tuesday but fell 1-6, 0-6. Freshman Mackenzie Donovan made her debut for Melrose and in her first match, played Lilly Pfister, 0-6, 2-6. “She moved on the court well and she got her first feel for a Varsity match,” says Deacon. “She will be working on her volleys and serves to get ready for the next match.”
Starting at 1st doubles is the team of Haley Smith and Emma Miller, who played a solid match using their lobbing skills and cross court angles to play a respectable match at 3-6, 1-6.
In the team’s JV match, Elise Nerden and Maddy Lyons played a tough match before falling 0-8 to their opponents at 1st JV doubles. Janice Tang and Amber Chow fought a tough battle before falling 6-8 as did teammates Dara Casey and Analise Catalini who fought to a strong 4-8 loss. Freshmen and newcomers to the varsity tennis team Ruby Robichea and Jacqueline Brady fought a hard battle and won in a tiebreaker 7-6.
Says Deacon, “The girls are learning each match and with some luck with the weather, we will be able to continue to work on all of the positive things we saw as we continue on with our season.”
Finishing at the top of the Freedom league is the team’s early goal. Says Deacon, “Time will tell. We have a lot of beginner players and want to be inclusive so people can get better in the sport. Here we go!”
