The Girls’ Tennis season recently wrapped up for the 2021 season in late October. The team is led by Coach Kristin Bradford and Senior Captain, Kourtney Newton, who led her team this season, even after facing an injury. Juniors on the team are Ayen Aldana, Annika Brodie, Cynthia Chang, and Gail Santos. The underclassmen, A’myah Robinson, Skyla Lopez, Hannah Azar, Jaye Chatman, Zahra Karimi, Hana Kolenovic, and Gabriella Crieghton will become the foundation of the West Girls Tennis team for the years ahead. 

The team went 0-14 this year and 0-12 in the Olympic Conference, but there were still many successes in the competitive games that were played. They opened their season against Eastern (9-8) and followed that game by playing Paul IV(4-10). Hannah Azar ‘25 won her singles match in straight sets against Sydney Crawbuck 6-3 and 6-0 against Paul IV. Azar also beat Ava Kaloustian (Bishop Eustace 6-7) 6-1 and 6-3 in straight sets. Cynthia Chang ‘23 helped the team by winning her match in straight sets against Laurel Montuori (Bishop Eustace 6-7). Chang’s first match was won in a tie-breaker 7-5 and her second set 6-4. 

As the season entered into its final weeks, the Lions continued their fight. Cynthia Chang won both of her sets against Winslow (2-10), which ended in a tie-breaker 7-3 in the third set to put the Lions on the board. Chang, in her third year on varsity, had the most wins on the team with a record of 5-11. Ayen Aldana and Gabriella Creighton followed by winning their doubles match against Zainab Adeoye and Alexa Renzulli 6-3 and 6-1. When the Lions faced Bishop Eustace for the second time, freshman Hannah Azar beat Catherine Azelby in the final two sets 6-2 and a tie-breaker, 10-7 after losing her first set 6-1. 

In the second to last game of the season, the Lions revisited Winslow. The Lions lost 4-1, but Zahra Karimi and Hana Kolenovic won their doubles match 6-1 and 7-6 in straight sets against Winslow’s Leila Quatorze and Tyjah Kilburn. The last game of the season was against West’s rival, Cherry Hill East. East (12-3) went on to beat West 5-0 to close out the 2021 season. 

Although the Lions fell short of a win this season, they still fought hard and had a very competitive season. The team faced injuries from Kourtney Newton ‘22 and Hannah Azar ‘25, with Azar finishing with a 3-7 record after her season getting cut short. 

The team would like to thank their Senior Captain Kourtney Newton for all of her hard work and dedication to this team and wishes her the best in everything she pursues. As the team moves towards the future, Coach Bradford noted, “I think the team has great potential to become a competitor in the Olympic Conference next year. The girls on the team just need to keep practicing and working hard.” The future of the West Girls Tennis team is bright, with 11 out of the 12 girls returning for next season.  

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