Still young, SCH tennis team now has varsity experience

by Tom Utescher
Posted 9/20/23

The girls' tennis team at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy returned most of its players from its young 2022 squad, and the Blue Devils have started their 2023 campaign with convincing home-court victories against a pair of non-league opponents.

On August 31, SCH recorded a 6-1 win against Germantown Friends School, and last Monday a contest against Springfield High School was cut short by a lightning alert after the Blue Devils had won the four matches necessary to clinch the team victory.

Springside Chestnut Hill's team captain, senior Ameara Smith, combined with sophomore Finley …

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Still young, SCH tennis team now has varsity experience

Posted

The girls' tennis team at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy returned most of its players from its young 2022 squad, and the Blue Devils have started their 2023 campaign with convincing home-court victories against a pair of non-league opponents.

On August 31, SCH recorded a 6-1 win against Germantown Friends School, and last Monday a contest against Springfield High School was cut short by a lightning alert after the Blue Devils had won the four matches necessary to clinch the team victory.

Springside Chestnut Hill's team captain, senior Ameara Smith, combined with sophomore Finley Redpath for a 6-4, 6-3 win at first doubles against GFS, while juniors Jenna Seidman and Priya Jonas took the second doubles bout, 6-3, 2-6, 11-9. Redpath's senior sister, Sydney, paired with classmate Marley Einheber to capture the fourth doubles contest, 6-3, 6-2.

The three singles players for SCH are all sophomores. Against GFS, number one Leah Thomas went through in two 6-0 sets, while number two Ella Brown prevailed, 2-6, 6-3, 10-6. In the third spot, Ariya Goswami won 6-1, 6-3.

By the time last week's Springfield match rolled around, there had been some changes in the doubles line-up. Smith and Finley Redpath remained in the first flight, overcoming the Spartans, 6-2, 6-2.

The second flight now had Seidman playing with fellow junior Leah Laudenbach, and the result was a 6-4, 6-0 win. Still together at third doubles, junior Farah Horgan and senior Lexi Levin obtained a 6-1, 6-3 verdict in their favor, while Einheber and Jonas captured the fourth doubles match without losing a game.

All three singles bouts were in progress, with SCH ahead in each of them, when the lightning warning cut the outing short.

UPDATE: The Blue Devils played two much closer matches later last week. On Wednesday they opened league play with a 4-3 loss to a formidable Baldwin School squad. Brown won at second singles for SCH, while Smith and Finley Redpath won at first doubles and Einheber and Joans captured the fourth doubles contest.

The next day Springside Chestnut Hill traveled to Shipley School and played a match following the Friends Schools League's three-singles, two- doubles format. Smith and Redpath put the first doubles bout in the SCH win column, and victories in the top two singles spots by Thomas and Brown helped secure a 3-2 team triumph.