Donovan West, Sports Editor
@DWest_courant
Under Head Coach Catherine Walker the girls tennis program has developed into one of the best in the state and recently defended their CIAC title to win their second straight championship. The team is looking to go on another stretch of dominance like they did from 2000 to 2013, when they won 13 state championships.
At Joel Barlow High School on Thursday, May 30, the girls tennis team defeated one-seeded Guilford, winning all seven games, to win their second straight state championship. The victory capped off a remarkable CIAC tournament run, where the two-seeded girls did not lose a single game and went 28-0. Despite winning last year’s Class LL championship over Greenwich, the girls were dropped to Class L this year and dominated the smaller schools (St. Joe’s is the only other FCIAC team in Class L).
For the girls, the FCIAC tournament earlier in the season was a tougher challenge. After going 14-1 in the regular season, FCIACs presented an opportunity to avenge their lone loss to Greenwich, the future Class LL champion. After defeating Fairfield Warde and Darien in the first two rounds, the two-seeded Rams and one-seeded Cardinals played a highly contested final at Wilton High School. Ultimately, the girls came away victorious, winning 4-3 and securing their first FCIAC championship since 2011.
Coach Walker was incredibly proud of her team’s performance. “Winning the championship was so amazing, especially because Greenwich beat us in the regular season,” she said. “They’re a really strong team, but we knew all along that we could beat them. Our doubles players really stepped up and helped us win.”
The girls’ success is a testament to the unwavering dedication that each player on the team has. “As a team, we worked really hard to repeat as champions,” Coach Walker said. “These girls are all super competitive. They play tennis year-round and are fully committed to the sport.”
The team is poised to see more success in the future, as their top two singles players are underclassmen and already accumulating accolades. Freshman Leah Zheng made the All-FCIAC First Team, and Sophomore Aaciya Sonthonnax made the All-FCIAC Second Team. Leah is the third-ranked under-16 player in New England, and Aaciya is undefeated in her two high school years. Aaciya’s dominance is so consistent that her coach called her an “auto-win.” Senior co-captain Liza Sieghart also received an All-FCIAC Honorable Mention.
The winning culture within the girls tennis program has already been established, so now it is just about continuing to emphasize hard work. “To see success, we just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Coach Walker said. “Our team changes a lot each year as people graduate, but as long as everyone continues to work hard and play tennis a lot we can continue to be a really good team.”
