Trojans slay Dragons on the tennis court

The CVHS girls varsity tennis team worked hard to defeat Bishop O’Dowd on Sept. 14 with a final score of 5-4.

“We were nervous. Bishop O’Dowd is a good team. We made sure to try our best,” said co-captain Rachel Dong.

Two of the team’s top varsity players were out sick the day of the match, which contributed to the girls’ nervousness.

However, singles player and sophomore Gabby Madison eased the team’s anxiety right away with a quick on-and-off match. Madison played with determined consistency. She allowed her opponent to win only six games during the entire match.

Sophomore Sammie Lee kept the match moving the right direction. She worked until the very last second. Lee lost the first set, but this did not stop her. She took back the second set with a 6-2 score. Although exciting, it came as no surprise when Lee also won the tie breaker, setting the CVHS team ahead by one point.

New doubles partners Kele Fong and Paige Cason also played a quick match, defeating the opposing team by an incredible 6-3 score in both sets.

After these wins, CVHS and Bishop O’Dowd were tied with three points each. CVHS parents, team members, and spectators nervously wondered if absence of the two top varsity players was too much for the team to handle.

Co-captain, senior, and number one varsity player Rachel Dong stepped on court.

“From the start of her match, Rachel took immediate and complete control,” said Coach Greg Lowe in a post-match report.

While matches for number one varsity players can last over an hour, Dong defeated O’Dowd in under an hour. She allowed her opponent only three matches in both sets combined, with a score of 6-1 in the first set and 6-2 in the second.

“I was just glad it was over,” said Dong.

Dong pushed CVHS ahead to 4-3. Co-captains Lauren Fung and Tania Beringer kept Dong’s momentum and closed off the evening with their victories. Fung won easily with a single set of 6-1. Tania Beringer did the same with her final score of 6-2.

While the Trojans may have been nervous at the start of the match, they were still able to slay the Dragons.