The girls’ varsity tennis team swept Tamalpais High School on Thursday, Sept. 22, marking their third sweep of the season.
Despite losing MCALs to Tam last year, Redwood managed to come back strong this season, so far upholding an undefeated streak. According to the team’s coach Marlies Zeisler, Tam has always been a fierce competitor for Redwood, and she expected the matches to be very close.
According to team captain Natalie Epstein, the matches got off to a rocky start due to extreme winds, but the Giants managed to pull ahead regardless.
“As the matches progressed and the winds died down, I was able to obtain better control over my serves and where the ball goes,” Epstein said, beating her opponent 6-2 and 6-3.
Epstein played number one doubles in the MCAL finals match against Tam last season, but has transitioned to number six singles, remaining undefeated this season.
“I knew that Tam is always a strong opponent so I knew it was going to be a tough match, but I tried to keep a positive mindset,” Epstein said. “Last year, I was in the match that lost the game for everyone, so I definitely want to come back from that strong this year.”.
Doubles players junior Molly Kehoe and freshman Zoe Babikian played one of the closest matches. The girls just barely managed to pull ahead, with a score of 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), and 10-8. The girls were the last players on the court, making their match very important to secure a complete sweep.
Another tight match persisted between seniors Lindsay Thornton and Camilla Tarpey, who are both third on their ladders. In a tie-break, Thornton captured a win for the Giants, overpowering Tarpey 10-4.
According to Zeisler, the match was a strong stepping stone for the team to succeed for the rest of the season.
Redwood’s next match of the season is tomorrow against San Rafael.