The Andover Girls Tennis team experienced their first loss of the season against Milton Academy last Wednesday. Andover broke it’s previously undefeated record losing by one match, 8-7. Despite the loss however, the team played with poise and confidence this week, beating Loomis 7-0 and Thayer 10-5. Eliza Flynn ’10 played number one singles and won her match in three sets, with scores of 4-6, 6-0, and 6-4. Flynn’s match was unique because the court she was playing on did not have double’s allies. Although this did not affect the singles court, it was still a significant adjustment for Flynn to make. Co-Captain Lauren Wilmarth ’09 also won her match in three sets. After losing her first set 6-7, she came back to defeat her opponent in the next two sets with scores of 6-3, 6-3. Arianna Van Sluytman ’08 and Carolyn Brown ’09 played numbers three and four singles, respectively. Both dominated in two quick sets. The doubles teams played just as well as the singles. Co-Captain Maggie Maffione ’08 and Belinda Ortega ’08 won both their sets at number one doubles. The two juniors on the team, Stacia Vladimirova ’11 and Elizabeth Kelly ’11 played number two doubles and won their match in two sets. Tori Wilmarth ’09 and Rachel Blake ’08, at number three doubles, also swept their opponents. “It was a good way to come back after our tough loss to Milton last week,” remarked Co-Captain Wilmarth. Andover continued it’s winning streak against Thayer this Wednesday, defeating them 10-5. Flynn, playing number one singles again, played with a lot of intensity, but in the end, she ended up losing both her first and second sets. Co-Captain Wilmarth won both her sets at the number two singles position with scores of 6-2 and 6-1. Ortega ’08 had a quick match at number three singles. With her powerful groundstrokes and superior serve, Ortega easily defeated her opponent 6-1 and 6-1. Brown and Van Sluytman split their sets. Brown played the number four spot, while Van Sluytman played at five. Both Brown’s sets went into overtime and she lost the first 6-7 but was able to pull together a slight win of 7-6. Kelly ’11 finished at number six singles position and won her match in two quick sets. Powerhouses Flynn and Wilmarth paired up for the number one doubles, and defeated their opponents 8-2. Co-Captain Maffione and Ortega also defeated their number two doubles opponents 8-4. With a record of 9-1, the team is looking forward to the end of the season. Andover’s next and final match is next Wednesday against rivals Exeter. “Our goal right now is to end the season strong and then do really well at Interschols,” Co-Captain Wilmarth concluded.
