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Will Boyce ’15 | Staff Writer
Girls varsity tennis has been firing on all cylinders, bringing home the victory in a tournament this weekend, and three dual match victories over the span of Monday, April 29 and Tuesday, April 30.
On Saturday, April 27, the varsity tennis squad participated in the Ann Arbor Pioneer Quad tournament. South matched up against Pioneer, Northville and Rochester. South took first place, not losing any of the singles matches.
“This team, they’re really clutch. Ee don’t have a senior on the team, we’re young, but because they play tournaments in the off season, they don’t get rattled; Under pressure they play really well,” said Head Coach Mark Sobieralski.
The team got to rest Sunday, and was right back at it on Monday, with a home double header against Troy Athens and St. Clair. The girls handily defeated both teams, not losing a single match to either team.
There was a match victory that Sobieralski said he was particularly impressed with on Monday, against St. Clair. Number one singles player Carmela Goree ’15 defeated Abigail Shonk, 6-1, 6-3.
“That’s big, just to beat her was good, but to beat her 6-1, 6-3 was unbelievable,” said Sobieralski.
On Tuesday, April 30, South had another home match against a highly ranked Saline team, this one was tougher than the two on Monday. Despite losses in the number one singles category, and the number two doubles category, South was able to take home the victory, 6-2.
“We’ve got to knock our double faults, we’re double faulting way too many times, we’ve got to cut down on unforced errors,” said Soberialski. “We all got big serves but sometimes we have to take a little off it, just put that first serve in so you can put all the pressure on the other team, instead of trying to hit second serves all day.
The intensity level was at its highest when the number one doubles team of Sydney Keller ’14 and Samantha Perry ‘14 were wrapping up their match. The crowd was silent in respect, as the teams fought to win the third and final set. Keller and Perry were down two games to five, but stormed back to win four straight games to win the match.
“It sounds like I’m being greedy, but I want our kids to win every match, I really didn’t want to lose that number two doubles match, because I’m trying to get my team seeded really high in each category at states, because it gives you the best chance to win a state title,” said Soberialski.
The victory over Saline meant more than just another win for the team. The win meant that their Sobieralski had reached the milestone of 400 career wins as a high school tennis coach.
“It feels great, it’s an honor, it’s definitely an honor, it means I’ve had a lot of good players to coach in my career,” said Sobieralski.”I love this team. This is one of my favorite teams; we’re not even done with the season, and this is one of my favorite teams I have ever coached. I love these kids.”
Their next match is on Thursday, May 2 at Troy.
Photos By Will Boyce ’15
