Playing first singles, which she usually doesn't, Meghan Yee lines up an overhead smash.
By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On Monday afternoon, the Needham girl’s tennis team moved to 5-0 on the year, losing only three games over the course of five matches to handily beat the Weymouth Wildcats. It was clear from the beginning of the match that Weymouth could not compete, even with coach Carel Pretorious making some changes to the team’s typical lineup, like playing Megan Yee at first singles. The move worked out since, like all the Rocket players, she easily won.
“We haven’t had our toughest competition yet,” Pretorious noted before the match, pointing to upcoming bouts with Wellesley (which Needham would eventually lose, two matches to three) and Natick as the ones which will best test his team. He also pointed to Esha Kelkar as an athlete who has stood out to him this year, as she “had a very good match against Brookline. She played third singles, Brookline has two unbelievable first and second singles players, but our two doubles and our third singles won the day for us, so I definitely think she should be mentioned.”
Needham's success early in the season has come despite some early shakiness, due in large part to not having played last year. While Coach Pretorious noted some girls played indoor tennis, he mentioned that a focal point of his training was dealing with the uniqueness of playing tennis outside.
“They were pretty rusty because a lot of them also didn’t have access to indoor tennis, but they have made the most of it, and fortunately we have a few year round players, so that really gives the team some depth. We definitely just wanted them to get used to the conditions. Unfortunately, it was a very windy spring, tryouts were through those ridiculously windy days, but we just wanted to get them used to playing outdoor tennis."
While Weymouth could have used a few more gifted players to make the match competitive, before it started, the girls from Needham gave each other gifts. According to Maddie Gerber, they were part of the team’s big sister/little sister program, which pairs upper and lower classmen for team bonding, which she credits for at least some of the team's success.
“On Monday we did psych bags," she explained, "which is where each 'sister' gets each other a bag of goodies - like candy or socks - and writes a note to wish their sister good luck. It is a really good way for us to cultivate some team spirit, especially since there are so many new people this year. With COVID cancelling our season last year, myself and the other captains were a little worried about the team bonding, since the majority of our players graduated last year and both of our coaches retired. However, all of the underclassmen have been fantastic on and off the court, our new coaches have been incredibly supportive, and the team environment overall has been great. I definitely feel like our record and success on the court is a reflection of the fantastic team environment we have off of the court.”
Whether it has actually made a competitive impact is harder to measure than the impact it has had on team morale. Down the line, the underclassmen have applauded the team spirit, with freshman Ella Hurley proclaiming: “Everyone is so inclusive and literally so much fun to be around. We are always laughing and challenging ourselves and our skills.”
“So far, it’s been so fun as a team. I really love how everyone is so inclusive and I’ve definitely made more friends!” added sophomore Chloe Shigueta.
“I’ve only known these people for a few weeks, but it feels like I’ve made so many new friends," sophomore Esha Kelkar explained. "The upperclassmen are all very supportive and the best captains you could find, and I’m so lucky to be a part of this team.”
