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06/04/2024 11:33 AMMegan Bache has been drawn to the sport of tennis for as long as she can remember having athletics in her life. It’s a sport that takes an elite level of focus and concentration, and Megan has mastered that concept as a key member of the Westbrook girls’ tennis team.
The junior captain and No. 1 singles player for the Knights has been playing tennis for eight years, starting in elementary school. Family influence allowed her to pick up a racquet, and she hasn’t looked back and has produced a strong stat line this spring.
“My mom has been playing tennis for years and inspired me to start playing. I have also been playing field hockey for three years,” says Megan. “My junior year has been going really well, my record personally is 15-2. I think my favorite part of playing tennis is how rewarding it is to win after putting in a lot of work.”
Megan’s success on the court certainly doesn’t come with little effort, as she works tirelessly year-round to perfect her craft and keep her skills in tact.
“During the offseason, I have many private lessons, play in lots of clinics with other kids, and play in USTA tournaments.”
Westbrook girls’ tennis Head Coach Paula Fitzgerald has been coaching Megan since she first stepped onto the high school scene, and it was her natural talent that saw Megan impress Fitzgerald right from the start.
“Megan has been the leader of the team player-wise starting her freshman year at No. 3 singles and then playing No. 1 singles the last two years,” says Fitzgerald. “She has brought friends of hers to the team, and some started varsity their first year.”
Megan entered the Shoreline Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed. In the first round, she defeated her opponent 6-0, 6-0. In the quarterfinals, she faced No. 7 seed Natalie Novak of Valley Regional and earned a 6-1, 6-1 win. Moving onto the semifinals, Megan won 6-1, 6-2, and then she faced the No. 1 seed in Piper Remillard of Coginchaug in the finals, and she was defeated 1-6, 0-6.
Being in the top singles spot on a tennis team can come with a lot of pressure, constantly having to set the tone for the rest of the match. Although Megan fell short of victory in the conference tournament in that role, she was still proud of her efforts and for staying focused up until the end.
“For the team, it went pretty well, we made it far,” Megan says. “Personally for the individuals, I made it to the finals, which is better than I have done in the past two years. I was also on the All-SLC First Team which I was pretty excited about.”
As a captain, Megan’s job is to keep her team focused throughout the entirety of the season. Her confidence in her peers has shined through, as it led to the Knights, the No. 3 seed, winning their first-round matchup in the Class S State Tournament by a score of 7-0 vs. 14th-seeded Portland.
“I think as a team, we have a lot of confidence, and we are very motivated to make it very far,” says Megan. “We are very supportive of each other, and we want the season to last as long as possible. Everyone on the team thinks that we can make it far in the state tournament.”
Fitzgerald also sees Megan show off her confidence both on and off the court, and she explains that Megan truly represents the idea that hard work will always lead to improvement, growth, and constant wins.
“Megan has worked hard on her game in the offseason and summer - she wants to play in college; she has worked hard adding different serves and strokes into her repertoire and epitomizes how hard work leads to future success,” says Fitzgerald. “She’s a great person - always supportive of teammates and continues to encourage their efforts. She has the respect of everyone on the team.”
One of the things that has helped Megan to excel as a captain has been her ability to create a family-like atmosphere in which everyone builds each other up and encourages others to play at their highest level. This has certainly put the squad in a position to do big things in the postseason and beyond.
“I think this year our team is very close; we are very supportive of each other and always cheering on everybody at the matches,” says Megan. “It is a very close atmosphere, and I am looking forward again to being one of the captains next season. I organized team bonding events, like team dinners, and I tried to be encouraging to my teammates, especially those just starting.”
As Megan looks ahead to her final foray in a Westbrook uniform next spring, she knows her team will have a lot of returning athletes. With only three seniors graduating this month, Megan is excited for the possibilities next year with a stacked roster of veteran players.
“We are not losing too many people. We are going to play as much as possible after the postseason ends,” says Megan. “We are also looking to set some stuff up over the summer. I think next season, everybody is motivated to have another successful season.”
Megan is also interested in playing tennis in college, however, she has not made a decision yet as to where she will play. She credits all of her instructors and mentors on the court that have helped her to prepare for the next level.
“I’m going to continue to work hard and improve my skills because I would really like to play at the collegiate level,” Megan says. “The guidance from all my different coaches has helped me develop my skills, as well as consistency in my practice in the offseason. I have also always been competitive and had the drive to continue to improve.”