With girls varsity tennis coming to an end, senior night was September 30 against Dundee-Crown. Prairie Ridge won 6-1, with the only loss at 1 doubles. The girls played hard to pull out the win for the team and the seniors.
The varsity tennis team this year is mainly seniors, with only 5 players that will be returning next year. Seniors include Zoe Nanos, Mia Gola, Anastasiya Halayko, Maria Falkowska, Ava Baker, Ava Merklin, Tessa Olson, Kelly Anderson, Marissa Taege and Maia Cassin.
Zoe plays 1 doubles, Marissa and Kelly play 2 doubles, Maia and Anastasiya play 3 doubles, Ava M. plays 3 singles and Mia, Maria, Ava B. and Tessa play exhibition, sometimes rotating in for missing players.
Overall the girls have had such a great season but will definitely miss their years on the PR tennis team. “Being involved with PR tennis has been such a great experience, the friendships I have gained and the memories throughout the years have been nothing short of a blessing” said Mia Gola.
After the girls played their actual matches, the parent-player tournament started. Each senior picked a parent or adult to play with them. “Being able to play tennis with my dad and sharing my love for tennis with him and competing against my friends and their parents brought many laughs,” Kelly Anderson conveyed.
Ava Merklin also mentioned “Senior night was a memorable experience and playing with my aunt was super fun! It’s a great last memory of tennis that I will cherish in my heart forever!” Anastasiya Halayko agreed. “Senior Night was an unforgettable experience. I had a great time bonding with my teammates and celebrating our season together.”
The teams played a round robin type tournament, instead of a bracket tournament, where most teams played each other and the team with the most number of total games, won the tournament. They played 3 games against each team, meaning the score could have been 3-0 or 2-1 in the end with no ad scoring.
While the leaderboard was ever changing, Zoe Nanos and her mom ended up winning the tournament! “She surprised me with how good she was!” Zoe mentioned. “It was a great way to end senior night,” she continued.
Ava Baker and her dad, who played tennis when he was younger, got second place! Ava said “We are both super competitive, so I’m very glad we got 2nd place.” She also talked about her dad’s tennis career and how it inspired her. “My dad played d1 tennis on a scholarship at NIU when he was younger, and he was so happy when I told him I would join tennis sophomore year. It’s nice seeing him in his element!”
Marissa Taege and Tessa Olson, playing with their dads, tied for third place. “My favorite part of senior night was playing with my dad in the parent-senior tournament,” Marissa shared. This is not the first time Sr. Taege played in a parent-daughter tennis match. “My dad also played with my sister and took first when she was a senior.”
Tennis memories are more than just the memories in a sport, a team of friends is created on the courts. Tessa said, “I love the people I met and the games I’ve played, and I’ll carry these memories with me forever. I will especially remember getting 3rd place at senior night with my dad!”
Coach Erin Palese bought Jimmy John’s for the girls and their families to enjoy afterwards as well. Everyone had such a fun time and the non senior players stayed after their matches to watch and enjoy the food with everyone.
Maria said that senior night was the “best way to welcome the season’s end and to relish the memories that have been building for the last 4 years.” Doing a sport, or any activity, for four years is something to be proud of, and the PR tennis program has been a home for so many athletes.
Thank you, seniors, for contributing so much to the PR tennis team. Come out and support the end of girls tennis at sectionals on October 17-18.
