Courtesy/Noah Berg
I stood on the Academy tennis court, huddled in an oversized sweatshirt, next to my six other teammates at our sectional tournament. After so many rained-out games this season, our spirits still weren’t dampened, and the albeit chilly Wednesday morning was lit up by a beaming sun and clear sky.
All players arrived at 8 in the morning for an hour of warm-ups with their respective teams. The air filled with nervous laughter and the occasional “Let’s go!” My hands felt like popsicles as I rallied the ball with my doubles partner, fellow sophomore Simran B.
At precisely 9, the coaches called all players over, and the September 30th sectional tournament commenced.
The singles players went on the court first. Our best player and the first seed in the singles bracket, junior Ella T., easily won her first match against Bishop Ready with a quick 6-0, 6-0 sweep using a variety of powerful serves and skillful drop shots. Despite coming off a thumb injury the week before, she barely broke a sweat as she finished in 45 minutes.
As the singles players finished, our fourth-seed doubles, seniors Zephyr H. and Maya J., stepped onto the courts for their match against Bloom-Carroll. Undefeated as second doubles in our regular season, Zephyr and Maya won in an efficient 6-0, 6-1, a result of their unrivaled teamwork and communication.
Simran and I, the doubles third seed, went on next. As two singles players, we’d only played one match together prior to this day, but we were determined to give it our all. In our first match against Bishop Ready, we won 6-0, 6-0, only losing three points the entire game.
Freshman Jaya S. and senior Ela K. went on last as the second seed. As first doubles in the regular season, several significant matches that came down to the wire depended on them, and every time they pulled through to secure the win. The pair quickly won against Buckeye Valley in another dominating 6-0, 6-0.
Having all made it past the first round, I felt a tiny bit more relaxed. The sun slowly warmed up the day, making the weather flawless for tennis.
Ella T. returned to the court first and secured another win, 6-0, 6-1, against Wellington. Zephyr and Maya also played Wellington and cruised to the semifinals with a 6-3, 6-0 victory. Simran and I followed with a 6-2, 6-0 win against Grandview Heights. The last doubles match of the day was Jaya and Ela’s defeat of Worthington Christian 6-2, 6-1, and it meant all of us had qualified for districts the following Wednesday.
Before Wednesday, however, we had to play on Saturday, October 3rd, for district seeding, another crisp morning with anxious banter and sweaters and sweatpants.
This was an especially unfortunate draw, since Simran and I had to compete with Jaya and Ela in our first match. We warmed up together with an uneasy feeling, knowing that right now, we weren’t teammates with Jaya and Ela. Simran and I won our first set 6-2, but Jaya and Ela won the second set 6-4 after being down 3-4. After a neck-and-neck third set and over two hours of playing, Simran and I won 7-5, advancing to sectional finals. For both of us, the victory didn’t feel as rewarding, and we knew the match could have gone either way.
On the court next to us, Zephyr and Maya battled against the first seeds from Worthington Christian. Despite being defeated 6-3, 6-0, the game was a competitive one with many lengthy rallies and strong put-aways at the net.
Simran and I then played the Worthington Christian girls in the sectional finals and lost 2-6, 2-6, although we were able to use the match as a learning opportunity for improving our volleys and cross-court shots.
To decide 3rd and 4th seed at districts, Zephyr and Maya played Jaya and Ela. Ultimately, Zephyr and Maya won 6-2, 6-2.
Meanwhile, Ella had dominated her bracket with a 6-1, 6-1 win against Wellington’s fourth seed in the semifinals and a 6-0, 6-2 win against Wellington’s second seed in the finals, crowning her sectionals champion and first seed at districts.
We left the courts around noon knowing we needed to rest for our district tournament and give it our absolute best on Wednesday, October 7. Whatever happens, this season will still be one for the books.
Go Vikes!
