SPS GVT Hosts Worcester

5/11/2023

In its next-to-last home match, the SPS Girls Varsity Tennis team hosted Worcester Academy outdoors on Wednesday, May 10, for a three-hour match that went to the visitors, 3-6.

At number one singles, co-captain Helen Berger ’24 waged a prolonged battle not reflected in the final score of 2-6, 3-6.

Co-captain Skylar Christofferson ’24 at number two singles was shut out 0-6, 0-6 while Amelia Guest ’25 at number three bowed out at 3-6, 1-6.

The other half of the ladder kept viewers in suspense, with two of the three matches decided by tiebreakers.

Char Machiels ’25 at number four won her first set 6-4, ran out of gas in the second (0-6) and then found enough reserves to win her tiebreaker 7-5.

Sophia Burdge ’24 at number five didn’t let a 5-7 loss in the first set deter her from staying in the match and took the second set 7-5, then won the tiebreaker 8-6.

Lidia Zur Muhlen ’24 at number six prevailed with a comfortable 6-1, 6-2 win.

SPS’s hopes were still alive as doubles began with three wins for each team but started slipping as Worcester pulled ahead on all three lines.

Burdge and Guest fell 3-8 at number two doubles and Christofferson and Berger went as far as 5-8 before Worcester took the deciding match.

On line three, Machiels and Zur Muhlen mounted a determined comeback that almost took them all the way before they were stopped at 7-9.

In exhibition matches, Rhys Rountree ’25 won her singles line-up 8-5; Sixth Formers Martha Greer Walker and Emma Bergreen won doubles 8-1; and Catherine “Emery” Gay ’26 and Tracey “Tattie” Gibbs stayed on the court for two sets (6-1, 6-1).