Last year, the Bromfield girls tennis team struggled to find enough players to fill a seven-member varsity team roster. Coach Chris Holmes has turned this trend around, with 18 athletes vying for a place on the squad this season. After brushing up their tennis skills on indoor courts all winter, team members are ready to take on the Mid Wachusett League in full force.
The team will compete against nine schools in a series of 16 league matches this season. Notre Dame, Sutton, and Hopedale will be the Trojans’ toughest competition.
“After a rebuilding year least season we hope to return to form, win the league championship and make the state tournament,” says Holmes. “Once at the tournament I hope we advance through a round or perhaps two. I think we have good potential to meet these goals.”
Senior captains Jacqui Holmes, Emily Egan, and Caroline Korstvedt will lead the team this spring. The veteran players kicked off the season two weeks ago by hosting a “tennis party” at a local tennis club.
“As captains, Caroline, Emily, and I have been working to get all of the girls really happy and excited about playing,” says the younger Holmes. “I really want to bring these girls together as a team and show them how much fun the game can be.”
“My role as a senior captain is something I’ve been looking forward to since I joined the team,” adds Korstvedt. “I love being part of the tennis team, but I’m especially glad to be able to be a leader this year.”
Three singles players and two doubles teams make up the seven-member varsity squad. In order to win a competition, the team must win three out of the five matches played.
Jacqui Holmes will compete as first singles player for the fourth consecutive year. She finished last season with 16 wins and only two losses, a record she returns to challenge this spring.
“When I was a freshman I told myself I would make it one round further in the individual state tournament at the end of each year,” says Holmes. “This year I have to make it to the finals.”
Korstvedt returns as the second singles player for the second season in a row, and Katherine Friedrich will take the third singles slot. The sophomore joined the team this year after recently moving to Harvard from England. The team also regains a valuable player in Egan this season.
“Emily will play doubles for the team,” says Coach Holmes. “She is returning to the team this season after missing last season with leg injuries. She is a very skillful and smart doubles player. Her return, along with the addition of Katherine, should significantly strengthen our team.”
Before the competitive season began, the girls played one another in a series of ladder matches to determine the singles and doubles lineups. Five girls tried out for the three single positions this year, and the rest aimed for a spot on one of the two doubles teams.
Eighth-grader Casey McGrath should also help the team this season and is sure to be a strong player in future years.
“Casey McGrath is an eighth-grader who is very athletic and brings some amount of past tennis experience to the team,” Coach Holmes says. “I am not yet sure where she will play this season but I expect her to be another positive addition to the team.”
Sophomores Eva Kenna, Eve Karon, and Olivia Krutz will also be key contributors this spring.
“As always I hope the girls have fun playing tennis, have some success in the matches,” says Coach Holmes, “and learn to play the game a little better as the season progresses.”
Outside of the league, the team will also play Division I teams Wachusett and Westborough. “Bromfield enters these matches as somewhat of an underdog since we are such a small school,” says Egan. “We usually surprise the opponent with our talent.”
The team played its first match against Sutton this past Wednesday, and will go up against Notre Dame Friday.
