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06/10/2024 02:26 PMThe Guilford girls’ tennis team had a season full of many accolades and accomplishments to be proud of. Despite falling short of state championship hardware, the Grizzlies can look back on their campaign with a sense of pride, and they can certainly hang their heads high.
After clinching the program’s first ever SCC Championship title with a win over Cheshire on May 21, Guilford entered the Class L State Tournament as the top-seeded team. In the semifinals on May 29, Guilford took down No. 5 Amity by a score of 4-3 and found itself in the title match against No. 2 New Canaan. In that bout on May 30, Guilford took a 7-0 loss to conclude a very successful spring on the court.
Guilford Head Coach Chris Marra was proud to see his athletes push through to the end and give themselves the opportunity to face such a tough opponent.
“We were happy to go as far as we did. The New Canaan team is amazing, and they were the Class LL champions last year,” said Marra. “It is just one of those things where we are very grateful to get as far as we did and play that kind of competition.”
In the match vs. Amity, the Grizzlies were able to pull through when they won 6-4 in the third set. Sophomores Kate Gasparini and Breann Shelton at No. 3 doubles won the deciding match in a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory. The duo improved its season record to 13 wins overall.
“The most challenging match of the season and the state tournament was the match against Amity. We knew that it was going to be a tough match and that it was going to probably come down to one court,” said Marra. “We got big wins from Molly Peterson (senior) at three singles, and Peyton Lynch (junior) and Mia Hardy (junior) won at one doubles, but the match came down to three doubles. It came down to Gasparini and Shelton who won, making it a huge win for them and a big win for the team.”
Senior captains Kallie Kagan (No. 1 singles) and Gabby Kellner (No. 2 doubles) have put in a tremendous amount of effort to create a tight bond between the entire team this season, according to Marra.
“I think one of the things that we saw all week and throughout the season is that the team is just very close. It is rare that you have a team that is as successful on the court as they are, but also as close in terms of including each other and being friends,” said Marra. “That does stem a lot from the captains just being very good at including everyone, making sure everyone feels heard, appreciating when they are on the court when they are playing, and respecting everyone enough to get them going.”
Despite falling to the No. 2 seed in the state championship, several athletes competed in the State Opens for Guilford, which began on June 2.
Lynch and Hardy, seeded at No. 8, advanced to the quarterfinals for doubles, where they faced the No. 1 seed and lost by a final score of 2-0 (6-2, 6-1). Both were named to the Class L All-State team, finishing their season with 22 wins.
Caroline Hergan (senior, No. 2 singles) advanced to the second round and lost to the No. 3 seed. Alexie Gipson (senior) and Kellner at No. 2 doubles also played in the State Opens and lost to the No. 2 seed in the first round.
“As far as the whole tournament goes overall, I think the whole team played really well. Even though we lost 7-0 to New Canaan, everyone really put their best foot forward and tried their best to compete,” said Marra. “Up and down the lineup, we have been really strong all year. It has been great to see them stick it out all the way to the end and keep fighting.”
Kagan finished her senior year with 12 wins, totaling 55 career wins, Hergan finished with 15 wins (at No. 1 and No. 2 singles), and Peterson finished with 21 wins, totaling 80 career wins. Kellner and Gipson wrapped up their season with 18 wins as a pair, with Kellner totaling 51 and Gipson 54 career wins.
Throughout the competitiveness that came with playing postseason tennis, Marra and his athletes had to find a way to step up and play their best when facing the steepest of opponents. Emotionally, he appreciated his girls for staying grounded and humbled throughout the entire journey.
“The Amity match was a huge challenge; we were just fortunate enough to play really well in the most important moments of it and come through with the 4-3 victory. The match against Cheshire in the SCC finals was really tough,” said Marra. “We had some easy matches, but we had some very challenges matches, as well. The Amity match could have gone either way, and all of the credit goes to Kate and Breann for stepping up at that time. I am pretty proud of the fact that the girls never let it go to their heads. We were the tops seeds, we won the SCC’s, had a great year, but no one let that get to them. We just really worked hard every day through states knowing that at any moment in time that we could lose,” said Marra. “We always felt like we had to prove it every day, and the girls really had a staying power with that. They did not let that go to their heads, and we did not have any big egos.”
In the coming weeks, the Grizzlies will be graduating eight seniors from their roster, however, the team will return several players that contributed to their record this season.
“We are losing a lot of important players and seniors, but we have a lot of depth. We have girls who are enthusiastic about being on the team, as long as we can keep doing what we’re doing in terms of keeping things really comfortable on the court and making sure everyone feels included,” Marra said. “But at the same time, playing at that high level of competition, I think that we are going to do great next year.”
Marra is assisted on the sidelines by Christian Appleman.
The Grizzlies varsity team roster is comprised of Gipson, Kagan, Kellner, Peterson, Julia Castonguay (junior, No. 6 singles), Olivia Cowpert (junior, No. 7 singles), Sophie Gochman (junior, No. 4 singles), Amelia Hardy (junior, No. 1 doubles), Hergan, Lynch, Sabrina Chung (sophomore, No. 5 doubles), Makenna Clark (sophomore, No. 4 doubles), Gasparini, Juliette Kellner (sophomore, No. 5 doubles), Shelton, and Zoe Tsoukanelis (freshman, No. 4 doubles).