Losing in a close match against Hudson, the Bromfield girls tennis team ended with a 4–1 score on Thursday, April 13. It has been several years since Bromfield last played Hudson, which is currently undefeated and first in the C Division of the Midland Wachusett League. The focus, as Coach Chris Holmes said in a post game interview, was on “where Bromfield is as a team and to see where we can perhaps make a few adjustments.”
All of the individual matches were very close plays. In first singles, senior and co-captain Lisa Jorgenson lost against Hudson’s number-one player, who was a very good left-handed player and showed no weaknesses. A left-handed tennis player changes the game entirely as his or her play is very hard to adjust to and then win against. Jorgenson tried a few different strategies, being more aggressive with groundstrokes and targeting more balls to her opponent’s backhand in order to gain control. Her opponent was able to execute a consistent game, however, and Jorgenson was unable to succeed in changing the result this time around.
Eighth-grader Leimalia Tratnyek won the only match of the evening for Bromfield in her first official match with the team. Her opponent applied a lot of pressure by aggressively going up to the net, but Tratnyek was able to stay steady throughout the match and won a very close tiebreaker 7–5, winning the first set 7–6. She then took control of the second set and won 6–3. Her win this time proved her potential for the rest of the year.
Third singles was also an extremely close match. Senior and co-captain Ariel Jones-Mollod lost the first set 6–3, but she improved tremendously so that in the second set, she and her opponent went into a tiebreaker match, which she lost, but she ended the set 6–7. They both had to battle the wind during the second set, as it became strong enough to have a significant impact on the match.
In first doubles, sophomore Alex O’Neil and freshman Olivia Noyes lost their first set 6–3 but were leading in the second set and had chances to win in the later stages. However, their opponents caught up and won the tiebreaker 7–5, ending the second set with a 6–7 score. This was their first match as partners, and under pressure, they performed relatively well. “With a couple of slight adjustments, they have the ability to be a very good duo,” said Coach Holmes.
Longest match of the day
Second doubles was by far the longest match of the day, with three full sets. Junior Abby Zajac debuted in her first varsity match with senior Joanna Young. They won the first set fairly easily, with a 6–4 score, but got behind in the second set, losing it 6–3. In the third set, they were evenly matched against their opponents but lost small plays, losing 6–4.
With all of the long matches and fairly even play, Coach Holmes said he got a chance to see where Bromfield needs to improve for future strong opponents. With the addition of Leimalia Tratnyek, several second doubles partnerships with potential, and the possibility of second singles junior Sarah Moore, returning from a shoulder injury after April vacation, the team is looking to be much stronger.
Bromfield is now second in its Midland Wachusett division behind Tyngsborough. The team’s third match is scheduled to be away Monday, April 24, against Quabbin.
Bromfield girls versus Hudson
Thursday, April 13
1st singles: Julia Smolowitz, Hudson, def. Lisa Jorgensen, Bromfield, 6–2, 6–2.
2nd singles: Leimalia Tratnyek, Bromfield, def. Lauren Gasek, Hudson, 7–6 (7–5), 6–3.
3rd singles: Elizabeth Billings, Hudson, def. Ariel Jones-Mollod, Bromfield 6–3, 7–6 (7–2).
1st doubles: Kristine Young, Lauren Eadie, Hudson, def. Alex O’Neil, Olivia Noyes, Bromfield, 6–3, 7–6 (7–5).
2nd doubles: Abby Gellspie, Victoria Gibbs, Hudson, def. Joanna Young, Abby Zajac, Bromfield, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4.
League record: 1–1.
Ivy Wang is a Bromfield junior.
