Co-Captain Ananya Madduri ’23 (pictured above) and Emory Wilson ’23 played their last matches of their Andover career on Wednesday against Exeter
Girls Tennis won 5-1 against Phillips Exeter Academy (Exeter) on Wednesday.
Girls Tennis lost just eight out of 95 total matches played in its regular season.
Andover Girls Tennis claimed the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class A Championship on Sunday, giving up just one of 16 matches played in the team’s two-day championship run.
En route to claiming the title, the team defeated BB&N 5-0, Greenwich Academy 5-0, and the Hoosac School 5-1. Andover entered the championship as the top seed with an undefeated 11-0 season record.
Co-Captain Ananya Madduri ’23 said, “We were very focused on preserving the state of our bodies, the state of our mental health, and to make sure that we were just as well rested as possible. And I think we didn’t come in with overbearing expectations. We didn’t come in with kind of the, ‘We’re the number one seed we’re gonna win it.’ We came in with, ‘We’ve had a great season so far and we look to continue it in the same manner.”
The team played the eighth seed BB&N in the quarterfinals and fifth seed Greenwich in the semifinals on Saturday. With both rounds held at Hotchkiss, Andover faced an early wake-up and long drive before its double-header.
“That moment in the rally wagon with the whole team for five hours really helped us not just learn more about each other, but grow comfortable on how we present ourselves. And I think having that before going into the matches helped us really understand who we are as individuals and how we can support each other,” said Oku.
Due to inclement weather, both matches on Saturday were held indoors. Despite the unexpected change, the team found the indoor environment helpful in conserving energy for the finals the next day, according to Amy Oku ’25.
“Our coach makes a huddle and she always tells us to be present in the moment and she always tells us what we need to work on at that moment. So we never look forward. We just keep looking at what’s in front of us and what we need to do at that time,” said Oku.
Andover hosted the final round of the championship on Sunday against third seed Hoosac. Hoosac entered the matchup with a 7-1 record, with the single loss being to Andover just four days earlier.
“We started off the day at nine a.m. at Coach [Deborah] Chase’s house. She and her husband cooked us a like just incredible breakfast, homemade breakfast. Her kids were playing such fun and motivating music which got us really in the mood. We warmed up for a long time to kind of get those nerves out and we started off strong, and I think that was the key to our success on Sunday,” said Madduri.
Andover had relied on its depth and consistency for the majority of its regular season, losing just eight of 95 total matches played. Emory Wilson ’23 found the team’s depth reflected in the championship final
“We didn’t push the burden onto any particular people, and all of us went out there and tried our best to get the win. So we weren’t relying on [just the] number one. Making sure that we all were just basically putting in as much effort as we could and doing everything we could perfectly,” said Wilson.
Editor’s Note: Amy Oku is a Copy Editor for The Phillipian.
