FREMONT – Monday afternoon saw the Lady Giant tennis team end its regular season on a fitting note.
Gillian Gallagher hits an overhead smash for a point in her match on Senior Night.
The team’s seniors, who’ve been the catalyst behind the team’s terrific success the past two seasons, ended their regular season careers in the same fashion as they played the vast majority of their matches: With a resounding victory.
The Lady Giants defeated Port Clinton Monday 4-1. The victory ends Ross’ regular season with a 14-6 overall record. Though Ross didn’t enjoy the same level of depth as it had in 2017, the Lady Giants’ record was only just shy of last year’s record of 15-4. Wolfe admitted being pleasantly surprised by how her team, led by its six seniors, managed to continue its success.
“I even said that at the parent meeting at the beginning of the season, ‘We’re not going to have a 15-4 record this year but we’ll do the very best we can every kid on the court will know their job,’” Wolfe said.
“I’m so proud of the way they stepped it up. This is a shock for me, a very pleasant surprise for me, and for the girls too, that they can be this successful two years in a row. It’s a nice surprise.”
Berlin Swaisgood returns a shot in her match Monday night.
While Ross will be hosting the sectional tournament, beginning Thursday, Monday marked the final regular season match played by seniors Gillian Gallagher, Berlin Swaisgood, Sophia Biggins, Emma Jahns and Izzy Atkinsson. Fellow senior Lily Abdoo was unable to attend the match and its Senior Night festivities. Five of the six seniors have been with the program since their freshman year, with Atkinson joining as a sophomore.
Gallagher won breezed through her match at No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-0.
Gallagher credited the Lady Giants’ record to Wolfe’s juggling of the lineup based on the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses as well as the team’s willingness to play hard for one another.
“Coach knew where to put us, singles and doubles-wise, she knew when to play us where,” Gallagher said. “I think each girl brought her best, wherever they were, if you’re singles player placed in dubs or if you’re a doubles player placed at singles, you brought your best wherever you were put because it was best for the team. I think the girls also wanted to try harder because we’re all so close, we didn’t want to let each other down.”
Sophia Biggins, left, and Emma Jahns, right, walk off the court to switch sides between games of their match Monday.
Like Gallagher, Swaisgood won her match without losing a game, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 2 singles while her fellow seniors Biggins and Jahns combined at No. 1 doubles to win their match in come-from-behind fashion, 1-6, 6-3 (10-5).
Junior Vivyanna Esquivel won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles. Success of the younger players, such as Esquivel, played an important role in the team’s success.
“We all worked really hard this season,” Swaisgood said. “The new girls, they worked hard to improve themselves and they all improved. It’s been nice to watch.”
Gallagher, Biggins and Swaisgood will be among those taking part in this week’s sectional tournament. The tournament gets underway Thursday and will continue Saturday.
However the tournament ends for the Lady Giants, Swaisgood said the lessons she and the seniors learned in their years in the program go far beyond the court.
Izzy Atkinson
Lily Abdoo
“This team, and Coach, is so much more than tennis,” Swaisgood said. “The relationships that you grow, especially with Coach, she is such a leader for our team and we’ve learn a lot from her. It’s really not about winning for her, it’s about seeing us grow and seeing us improve as people and teaching us things outside of tennis. Tennis has definitely changed a lot of stuff for me.”