Girls’ tennis beats OA, improves to 4-1

The CHS girls’ tennis team picked up another win when they traveled to Oliver Ames during vacation week. The squad breezed to a 5-0 victory despite the absence of many key players.

Senior Eleni Papadopoulos (Mike Barucci photo)

Coach Bill Kates was admittedly nervous entering the match on Wednesday, April 17. Missing seniors Eleni Papadopoulos (second singles) and Kristen Burns (first doubles), Kates was forced to shift things around. Fortunately, the changeup worked for the girls, and they improved their record to an impressive 4-1.

At first singles, junior Erika Nannery continued her winning streak with a 6-0, 6-1 win. Junior Amberly Diep, who was just getting comfortable at third singles, was moved to second singles and still cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win. And junior Pranathi Ganni, usually a doubles player, took the third singles slot and shut out her competition in straight sets.

Doubles play saw some changes as well. At first doubles, senior Pujitha Ganni joined senior Aimee Pina, and the pairing clearly worked as the two won in straight sets 6-0, 6-0. At second doubles, sophomores Rose Mancuso and Briana Cree took home a win in their varsity debut, 7-5, 6-3.

Kates was once again pleased with how his girls played. “With the changes in the lineup, I tried to rally the girls with a speech,” he said. “I urged them to pull together and I’m really proud of how they came through.”

Now, he looks ahead to what may be his team’s most difficult week yet. “Next up, we meet two of the best teams in our league: Sharon and Foxboro. I’m optimistic we’ll continue to play well and give them our all,” he said.

The Sharon match was scheduled for April 22 and the Foxboro match for April 24. The girls will next host Stoughton on Friday, April 26.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=20253

Posted by Holly Erickson on Apr 26 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.