The Girl’s Varsity Tennis Team won states? Again?! For the third year in a row, Scarsdale’s team has demolished the competition and come out on top. Coming home as champions once is impressive, but with continued titles their skills seem borderline mythical. These talented ladies use their insane serves, forehands, and dropshots to bring honor to both themselves and the general Scarsdale tennis program.
Before arriving to States, the team accomplished the major feat of winning Regionals: “I’m not very surprised. I knew the team could do it. I knew we had the skill level to go in and just absolutely dominate,” Sophia Wu ’25 explained. Going in “with a winning mentality” the close-knit team beat Ithaca to move on to States.
Despite heading into it with two championships under their belts the team “didn’t want to get too cocky,” Varsity Tennis Coach, Jennifer Roane said. It is still a very difficult thing to win regardless of past results. Continuous success seems to undermine that fact and lower the level of awe and appreciation the school has for the team. They deserve recognition for their hard work. The Girl’s Tennis Program has been strong for decades and Roane has been involved for the past 29 years building up the teams’ strength. There seems to be an endless flow of talent to Roane: “When we have people graduate, we just kind of reload.”
If the team has always been so strong, then why have they only been winning states for the past three years? In New York State, the team tournament is new. Prior to 2021, the tournament only went up to sectionals. So not only did Scarsdale win the first ever tournament, but then they won the second and the third. They are the only team to have been the New York State Champions. Their record is overwhelmingly impressive.
One of the team’s captains, Natasha Pereira ’24 noted that she “thought the team this year was significantly stronger than last year.” Newfound “success in the individual tournament” combined with “the undeniable talent of some of the new players on the team” meant higher confidence in a win. However, Pereira explained how she and her “co-captains definitely felt stressed about the 3rd time championships, because [they] were captains and felt responsible.”
Tennis is a sport of few points with one point costing a player the game, set, or even match. The minute details having such great impacts create a high-stress environment, yet the team handles these circumstances very professionally. Despite constant pressure, they are able to have fun. As a team of just 13 girls, they “always end up incredibly close…bonding over food, tennis, evil tennis drills, crazy opponents and more,” Pereira said. An incredible part of the State’s adventure is playing on the same grounds where the U.S. Open takes place. “I have to say it’s really cool; we use the indoor courts,” Roane explained. “During the break… some kids roamed the property and everything is empty and they can go on the practice courts.” That is an experience very few people can claim.
The team played their best and beat Syosset 6-1. Having played each other in States in 2021, Syosset tried to claim redemption over Scarsdale, but our powerful team of girls obtained another win, just further proving their flawless domination. Congratulations on a season well played!
