Somers Settles for a Tie versus Panas
See Photos at the end
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Somers traveled to Panas on Monday September 29, and with six matches down, the teams were deadlocked. Three matches a piece, the outcome fell on the doubles team of Isabella Miele and Lacy Sanders “If they win, we win,” said singles player Eve Clark, and a loss meant the reverse. But it turned out there was a third option.
The sun went down, the doubles match ended in a 3-3 tie, and so did the day.
The results started with Panas jumping out 2-0. “I was definitely trying my best. I was running for every ball. But she was really good,” said Thalia Etelamaki after falling 10-3.
Next was Julia Greco. “I did well getting to the ball and hitting it hard. But I could have done better with my serves,” said Greco.
A 10-3 loss resulting, the competitive rallies still put smiles on her face. “That means I know I’m getting to the ball and playing well,” said the sophomore.
Then Hannah Jeon and Maggie Sun came off the court. The Tuskers lost 10-5 and winning the match meant a long climb back.
Still, Jeon saw some bright spots. “I was pretty proud that my partner tried a few lobs,” said the sophomore.
A game changer if you can make it work, Jeon asserted, and there were also kudos for herself. With my backhand, she said, “I made some winning shots.”
So much so that it was a 6-5 game. Unfortunately, her partner logged a lot of miles playing long rallies at the baseline. “I got tired,” Sun admitted.
Still, her strength works well with her partner’s. “She’s at the top, and I’m at the bottom. Whatever she misses, I get and whatever is short, she gets,” said the sophomore.
Now, the winning began. Alison Cardillo and Chloe Lee won their doubles match by a score of 10-3, and the formula was similar to Sun and Jeon. “Her strength is volleying,” said Cardillo. “That’s good because she can be up, and I can be back.”
Therefore, the coverage makes it easy for the freshman to ID where improvement must come. “I need to get better at volleys, and she can get better at being back.”
Lee agreed and chalked up the win to the learning curve. “We played Panas last week,” said the junior. “So we reflected on how we were hitting.”
Lee specifically referenced hitting the sweet spot on her returns. “It makes me a lot more accurate with my positioning,” she clarified.
3-1, Somers got one closer on Eve Clark’s 10-5 victory. “All my shots were pretty much in,” said the junior. “I was pretty consistent.”
She cited her backhand as a strength and the way the skill increases her chances. “It helps because they expect you not to have a great backhand,” said Clark.
Good enough for a one match margin, a tie seemed imminent when Elena Kellock and Rachel Ehrmann jumped out to an 8-0 lead.
Not so fast, Panas won the next six, and the duo was definitely sweating. “We got a little nervous,” said Kellock.
The teammates quickly shook off the jitters, though. “We focused, and then, we just did it,” said Kellock.
Her height definitely played a part at the net. “I’m pretty tall so I can reach up,” she explained.
But over the top, Ehrmann was there. “I hit them back really well,” said the freshman.
A trophy for everyone by nightfall, Somers settled but not in terms of their togetherness. “We’re like a little tennis family,” Ehrmann concluded.
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