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06/07/2019 12:00 AMMorgan Mancuso is making some nice strides as a member of the Guilford girls’ tennis team. In addition to improving her skill set, Morgan has also come a long way with her mental game on the court. These attributes helped Morgan put together a solid junior season for the Indians this spring.
Morgan is a three-sport athlete who also plays soccer and ice hockey at Guilford. Morgan grew up with tennis on her mother’s side of the family and went on to take lessons to learn more about the sport.
After playing singles as a freshman, Morgan stepped into the Indians’ doubles lineup last year and competed alongside senior Emma Rand at the No. 3 position. This season, Morgan moved up to No. 2 doubles, where she split time between sophomore partners Veronica Zimmer and Emma Mullett. Morgan put together a record of 12-5 while mentoring her two underclass cohorts.
“I’ve grown emotionally with the sport from freshman year, because then, I used to get upset with myself. Throughout my career, I’ve been able to deal with playing more,” says Morgan, who recently competed with Zimmer at the State Open Championship. “I just learned to take a deep breath and relax. It’s all about taking time on practicing and focusing hard.”
Morgan was in a different role as the seasoned veteran of her doubles team this year. Morgan used her experience to lend a helping hand, while learning more about herself in the process.
“I played doubles last year with a senior, and she was my mentor. Then this year, I had two girls who didn’t have too much experience playing doubles going in, so it was challenging at times,” Morgan says. “But it helped me to grow, because it taught me about patience and my specific playing.”
Morgan had to make several adjustments when she switched from singles to doubles two years ago. In the end, Morgan feels that she’s become a better teammate as a result of competing on the doubles court.
“My freshman year when I did singles, I just hit the ball and hoped for the best. It was easier, because you weren’t depending on a partner, and it was all on me, which I liked,” says Morgan. “But now, I learned how to work with a partner and lean on them at times. It teaches you how to play as a team more.”
Guilford girls’ tennis Head Coach Chris Marra describes Morgan as an intense competitor and a great leader.
“Morgan puts everything into her matches and is always there to support her teammates,” Marra says.
Morgan is hoping for a chance to display her leadership skills as a captain next season. She also wants to guide Guilford back into the playoffs after the Indians just missed making it this year.
“I hope to be one of the co-captains, which I would be excited about. I would love to take on that responsibility and spread positivity to the team, too,” says Morgan. “I hope to be able to set up team-bonding activities to get the team closer. We can hopefully make it back to SCCs and states next season.”