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Season Preview: Girls Tennis
Read about the strong St. Luke's girls tennis program.
The 2016 spring season looks promising for the St. Luke’s girls varsity tennis team. Last year, the girls finished with a 5-5 overall record and competed with powerhouse FAA rivals Greenwich Academy, and Hopkins. Four players from last year’s squad will not return this year, but nine will once again put on the Storm uniform. The team, which is coached by Brinley Ehlers, Alice Mahoney, and Tish Tregellas (who is also the head coach of the junior varsity team), has steadily improved in the past couple of seasons and will look to do the same this year.
The girls squad is exceptionally deep this season. With nine already proven members, and the addition of four new strong competitors, the team will be a force in the FAA. In the words of coach Ehlers: “This is one of the deepest teams we have had in years. There are seven or eight girls who have very similar skill levels and can fit anywhere in the lineup.” With a deep lineup, The Storm will have an opportunity to win matches at every position. While the lineup is not yet completely locked down, Ehlers will tentatively keep the same singles roster as last year. Elizabeth Laub ’18 will play in the #1 position, Cameron Stonehouse ’17 at #2, Caylie Stonehouse ’17 at #3, and Caroline Nevin ‘18 will round out the order at the #4 spot. The doubles lineup is less certain this season, but senior captain Virginia Mahoney ’16 will be in the mix.
One of the most important goals for the team this season is a concept that is often foreign to the tennis world: teamwork. Although tennis is a sport that is necessarily focused on individual performance, Ehlers has worked hard to apply what she has learned as the head coach of the girls varsity field hockey team. She explained, “I’m always striving to reiterate the importance of team in tennis. As an individual sport sometimes that gets lost. It’s not thirteen individuals. It’s a team striving to achieve a common goal.”
The team’s common goal is not focused solely on wins and losses. While this is certainly an important aspect of any sports team’s philosophy, for the girls tennis team, it takes a back seat to friendship, camaraderie, and sportsmanship. Ehlers explained that, “Kindness runs through the program… I don’t stand for arrogance in tennis, and neither do the members of this team. I want people to look at my team and say: ‘Wow. Those girls were not only good players, but also nice, and respectful.’ We pride ourselves on being good people.”
The girls junior varsity tennis team is, as coach Tregellas posits, “very much an extension of the varsity program.” The junior varsity team is a relatively new addition to St. Luke’s athletics. Two years ago now juniors Ellen Jones ‘17, Alexa Karp ‘17, and Lex Vogel ‘17, fueled by their love for tennis, decided to found a junior varsity team. Last year, the girls’ pet project turned into reality. This year, the team has thirteen girls and has dominated their competition with wins against Holy Child (7-0), Greens Farms Academy (5-2), and Greenwich Academy (6-1). Like the varsity team, the competitive spirit is only a part of the team’s philosophy. Tregellas stated, “The girls on both the junior varsity and varsity teams alike are so enthusiastic about the game. They really love each other and love to compete.”
The junior varsity team has also proved to be an effective avenue for the girls to hone their skills and eventually compete on the varsity level. Tregellas noted that the girls are all determined to improve in order to potentially play at a higher level.
Both team’s philosophy of kindness, mixed with a breadth of talent, will make the 2016 girls varsity, and junior varsity, tennis seasons ones to remember. In Ehlers parting words, an opinion that mirrors Tregellas’ philosophy, she summed up why she always looks forward to the spring season. “Tennis is a lifelong love. I want all of my players to enjoy it, and be able to play it for the rest of their lives. That’s what the St. Luke’s tennis program is all about.”
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 40 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Leading with Humanity curriculum builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
