On Tuesday night, the girls’ varsity tennis team played against the Collegiate Amazons on senior night in Central Park. Prior to the start of the match, the team celebrated the five seniors, who have all been on the team for their entire high school career. Those seniors included Zoe Tinsley (HSU), Rayna Mandadi (MST), Skyler Tinsley (HSU), Catherin Shaju (MST) and Katie Dikes (J&C).
The seniors shared their favorite moments on the team, and coaches Brittany Buckner and Kellee Dicks shared their fondest memories of each player. The underclassmen players also decorated posters for each senior with pictures from their time on the team.
Ultimately, the Lady Crimsons won three out of five courts, narrowly capturing the victory, but solidifying their place in the upcoming regional tournament.
Audrina Schafer (10, HSU) won the singles one court with a score of 6-3, 6-4.
Emma Zelichenok (10, MST) played one of the longest matches in Manual girls’ tennis history, staying on the court for three hours in her singles match. Ultimately, Collegiate won the singles two court after a nail-biting 10-point tiebreaker.
Vivien Englund (10, HSU) played fiercely in her match against Collegiate on the singles three court, but ultimately lost 6-2, 6-1.
Himani Deo (10, MST) and her partner, Helen Bai (9, MST), won 6-0, 6-0 on the number one doubles court.
“I think my partner and I played well and communicated well,” Deo said.
Shaju played with Manasvi Bhavaraju (11, MST) on the number two doubles spot. They won their match 6-2, 6-2.
“We relied on our opponent’s mistakes, but in the end we did really well,” Shaju said.
Additionally, Z. Tinsley and Mandadi won their doubles exhibition match 8-3, while S. Tinsley and Stella Kolers (11, J&C) took a fall while also playing doubles, 9-8, losing 7-1 in the tiebreak.
The team will now gear up for the postseason. Individual regionals are from May 12-15, while team regionals are from May 19-21.
