The Hand girls’ tennis team re-asserted itself at the top of the state last season after knocking off a familiar rival for the title. Now, as the Tigers look to defend their throne, they will take to their court with the conditioning to craft another championship.

Following a 12-5 regular season campaign and SCC Tournament semifinals berth in 2023, the Tigers entered the Class M State Tournament as the No. 9 seed. After scoring a 6-1 first-round road win over No. 8 Valley Regional on May 26, a 7-0 quarterfinals home sweep of 16th-seeded Rocky Hill on May 30, and finally a 6-1 victory at No. 5 Nonnewaug in the semifinal round on May 31, Hand made its way back to the championship round in facing Stonington (seeded second) for the second-consecutive campaign in the state final on June 1 at Wesleyan University.

In the title-bout rematch, it was Hand who evened the score with a 5-2 triumph to give the program its third state crown in the last four years, fourth since 2017, and sixth overall in team history. The Tigers also finished their campaign atop Class M with a final and impressive mark of 17-6.

Thus far on the spring, Hand sports a 5-3 record. Now having their bodies and spirits accustomed to the total lifestyle of what surmises to a championship club, Head Coach John Gage maintained that the girls can certainly repeat those efforts, but the only way to take on the whole assignment is one mission at a time.

“Our ultimate goal is of course to repeat as state champs,” said Gage. “After winning last year and finding out what it really takes–a lot of heart and belief in ourselves to do it–I know we have the ability to do it again. But we take it one match at a time, and every point we play during the season is important.”

A tandem of doubles players will occupy the captains’ chair this campaign in senior No. 1 doubles competitor Teagan Ariyan and Hayden Agee at No. 3. Ariyan is completing a personal triple crown of sorts within the doubles circuit, whereas Agee is a newcomer to varsity. Despite the varying backgrounds, both bring the temerity and talent to lead.

“Teagan is a seasoned veteran on the squad, having played in all three doubles positions over the course of three seasons with me. She is calm and collected on the court and a very smart player. Looking back on the last two years with her, there might not be another player on the team who has had as many high pressure matches as she has. Off the court, she is extremely organized and dedicated to making the team better in every way,” said Gage. “This is Hayden's first year in the varsity lineup, and she is an excellent leader on and off the court. The self-proclaimed ‘team mother,’ Hayden makes sure everyone feels welcome and included, and she is a huge cheerleader for all of our players. On the court, she is a fearsome presence at the net. Along with her partner, senior Kayla Johnson, they have had a very successful start to the season at No. 3 doubles.”

Rounding out the doubles lineup for Hand are Ariyan and her partner, junior Juliana Jorens, at No. 1 doubles. This is their second season playing together, having had a terrific run last year at the second slot. Filling that No. 2 tandem are junior Mia Scott, moving up from No. 3, and teaming up with sophomore Skylar Powers, making her debut as a varsity starter.

Hand's strong singles lineup is led by sophomore Loden Bradstreet, playing in the top spot after a 20-3 record last year. Playing No. 2 singles is junior Ella Helfrich, returning from a phenomenal 2023 season (21-4 at No. 1 doubles, All-SCC Team, selected for State Open). Junior Antoinette Lowy and sophomore Emma Lee remain in their singles positions from last year at 3 and 4 singles, respectively.

Led by Assistant Coach David Buller, Gage is fortunate to have a large roster of JV players on the team, many of whom will see varsity action this season, including senior Joyce Li; junior Abby Bishop; sophomores Lilah Browning, Maddie Martin, Brynn Poole, Grace Brown, Claire Harriman, Jasmine Couret, Phoebe Burt, and Aina Gali Segues; and freshmen Natalie Diep, Jaynet Dopico, Natalie Greenup, Chloe Haydon, Rachel Lehman, and Rose Lyons.

The Tigers as always will navigate a deep and competitive pool of clubs in the SCC. Hand already faced off with top league rival Amity last month–suffering a narrow 4-3 loss–but the Tigers will get a chance to avenge the defeat in May. Hand also has a monumental matchup with Stonington in a clash between the last two Class M title holders.

“Cheshire and Guilford will also be challenging matches, as they've only gotten better since 2023,” Gage said. “Our most anticipated match, however, will be in mid-May against Stonington. They gave us trouble over the last two seasons, beating us in the Class M state final in 2022 before we were finally able to claim victory in last season's Class M state championship match. They will be looking to avenge that, so I expect the Stonington match to be a big one.”

On April 22, the Tigers faced off with Cheshire and took a narrow 4-3 defeat on their home court. Winning at singles were Helfrich at No. 2, besting her opponent 7-5, 6-2, and No. 4 singles Lee, who coasted to a 6-2, 6-2 victory. The lone doubles win came from Ariyan and Jorens at No. 1, defeating their opponents 6-4, 6-3.

Then, on April 24, Hand closed out the week with a 7-0 win over East Haven. Recording 6-0, 6-0 shutouts for Hand were Lowy and Lee at No. 2 and 3 singles, respectively, as well as Scott and Powers at No. 2 doubles. The final shutout win of the day came from the third doubles duo with Agee partnering with Li, who made her debut as a varsity starter.

The No. 1 doubles combination of Ariyan and Jorens cruised to an easy 6-1, 6-0 victory. Helfrich moved up to No. 1 singles for the first time and battled her opponent to a 7-5, 6-2 win, and Lyons, playing No. 4 singles in the varsity lineup for the first time, outlasted her opponent (6-4, 6-2).

The Tigers are of course always looking at the larger scope of the program in promoting depth–not only for this season but for multiple spring seasons to come. Most paramount, though, Gage wants each of his athletes to embrace and act upon the core creeds of being a Hand student-athlete.

“We want to grow our team and program, not just our starters, but all of our JV players who are putting in the practice hours to get better and hopefully someday be in the lineup themselves,” said Gage. “At the end of the day, we of course want to win, but–and Hand athletics is a huge promoter of this–we try to instill in our players the importance of character and positive attitude and realizing how far that can take you if you really live it, both on and off the court.”

Gage, Director of Bands at Daniel Hand, has been the head coach of the team since the 2022 season. He is assisted by Buller, a math and computer science teacher at the high school. This is Dave's second season with the team.

2024 Hand Tigers Girls’ Tennis Regular Season Results and Schedule

April 1: Hand 7, East Haven 0

April 5: Guilford 6, Hand 1

April 10: Hand 7, Sheehan 0

April 15: Amity 4, Hand 3

April 17: Hand 7, Sacred Heart Academy 0

April 19: Hand 7, North Haven 0

April 22: Cheshire 4, Hand 3

April 24: Hand 7, East Haven 0

Monday, April 29: vs. Guilford at 3:45 p.m.

Friday, May 3: vs. Sheehan at 3:45 p.m.

Monday, May 6: at Cheshire at 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday, May 8: at Amity at 3:45 p.m.

Friday, May 10: at Sacred heart Academy at Albertus Magnus College at 4 p.m.

Monday, May 13: at North Haven at 3:45 p.m.

Friday, May 17: vs. Stonington at 3:45 p.m.