Somers Tennis Starts off with a Win versus Lakeland

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On Tuesday September 3, the tennis team kicked off the fall sports season for Somers. At Reis Park, the girls faced Lakeland, and the visitors didn’t have much buzz. The Tuskers won six out of seven matches, and Victoria Morel and Gabby Crecco were first to clip their opponent’s wings. A 6-0, 6-2 win, balance was the key.

“I’m more of a backhand girl and she’s a forehand,” said Morel.

The duo still has to cover the court, though, and speaking up was their primary strength. “We communicate well, and that’s the most important thing,” asserted Crecco.

The final score was too. “Feels good,” said Crecco, “it’s a good way to start the season.”

Sofia Sinanaj and Gabriella Paucar felt the same way after their 6-1, 6-0 victory, and another even hand helped deliver. A good backhand, said Sinanaj, “I usually go on the side where the backhand is prominent, and Gabriella goes on the other side.”

And she likes the two hand. “It makes it more secure when I’m hitting the backhand,” said Sinanaj.

Then on balance, the tandem stayed in sync and didn’t mince any words. “We really like to coordinate with each other when we are playing,” said Sinanaj. “We say it loud - switch. And we know immediately to move.”

The team also took advantage of Paucar’s strong serve. “I tend to hit to the corner, and when they hit it back, it’s usually going straight to Sofia,” said the senior. “Then she slams it down.”

Maddy Murphy used a bit more finesse in her 6-0, 6-0 victory. “I took advantage of my opponent always being back,” said the Tusker. “I would hit it short, and she would not be able to run and get it.”

Backhand was her weapon of choice too, and she was also licensed with two hands on the trigger. “It’s just stronger,” said Murphy, “I like to have a grip with both hands.”

She wasn’t the only one with a stranglehold either. Sidney Carnow took her match 6-3, 6-1, and toward the end of the first set, the singles player picked up on her opponent’s lag. “I saw that she was getting tired, so I tried to aim for her weak spots,” said the senior.

A good day for sure, she keeps her head up no matter the score. “I really like how you can change the odds quickly,” said Carnow. “If you’re having a bad day, you can’t think about that. You can change it just by how you are thinking.”

In turn, her determination is much more likely to get in the head of her opponents. “I make sure I don’t ever give up on any point,” said the senior.

The only way to play, Somers sole loss came on court one where Natalia Tellez fell 6-3, 6-4. “Her serves were really good,” lamented the senior.

Still, the Tusker tried to counter. “When she served from the right side, her ball tended to go to the corner,” said Tellez. “I would try to position myself to be able to respond.”

The hard serve by Marin Doherty had an upside, though. “We really pushed each other to increase our serves to a high velocity,” revealed Tellez.

So she’s looking forward to their next meeting, and confidence is not a problem. “I’m going to beat her,” predicted Tellez. “I’m going to be more aggressive from the beginning and make her make the mistakes.”

Nonetheless, the match of the day came last. A 10-8 tiebreaker went to Somers, and Lauren Comunale kept on track for the deciding point. “I didn’t know where the ball was going to go. But I just tried to keep calm and keep my eye on the ball,” she said

The ball falling her way with Thalia Etelamalei, two handed backhand was the order of the day again. “I can hit it harder and put it into the corners,” said Comunale.

On serve, Somers kept the pressure on. “They weren’t strong returning serves,” said Etelamalei. “You hit it hard enough, and they weren’t able to return.”

Going forward, Etelamalei admits she has work to do in only her second year of playing tennis. “I have to improve my game in general and build my confidence,” she said.

Hannah Jeon and Maggie Sun completed the day with their double’s victory, and Somers hopes to keep it going on Saturday versus Mahopac.