The Lady Lancers Varsity Tennis season is slowly winding down after conference and sectionals. After months of preparation, the varsity team exceeded expectations in their meets and worked hard to place in both Conference and Sectionals.

The Brookfield Central varsity tennis team placed second in Conference Oct. 1. This is the first time that Brookfield Central has placed above Divine Savior Holy Angels since 2008, making it a major accomplishment for the tennis team. Although there were many tough matches, including two doubles against DSHA, one doubles against Brookfield East, and two singles against Brookfield East, the tennis team put forth their utmost effort.

“I would describe our team as hardworking, dedicated, loving, and supportive,” said Captain Annie Porritt (’15). “We are always there through the wins and losses. Our team this year has been the closest that we’ve ever been.”

The matches that were played in Conference paved the way to success at Sub-Sectionals and Sectionals. Sub-Sectionals were played at New Berlin West High School Oct. 5. At this meet, Sasha Semina (’18) played number one singles, Saloni Rao (’16) played number four singles, and Porritt and Libby Protz (’15) played number one doubles. Alex Yavlinovich (’16) and Alana Michaels (’16), who played number three doubles, won two matches in a row, which qualified them for Sectionals. At the end of Sub-Sectionals, Brookfield East had a perfect score of 24 points, while Brookfield Central and DSHA were tied at 18 points. This led to a fierce competition at Sectionals, which was held at Westosha Central High School Oct.8.

At Sectionals, the qualified players performed better than they had all season. There were many intense matches, including number two doubles Porritt and Protz, who played against Divine Savior Holy Angels. Despite the loss, they played much better than they have ever played before against DSHA. Although the first set was lost 6-1, during the second set they came back with a stunning 6-4, resulting in a third set to be played, which was better than their other attempts earlier in the season. The second tough match included Semina, who played against Brookfield East. Unfortunately, during the match, she sprained her ankle. Nonetheless, she continued to play. She did not win, but she persevered through the pain. At the conclusion of the meet, Semina placed second in one singles, which qualified her for State along with Porritt and Protz, who placed third in one doubles. In addition, three doubles did well as they placed first in their division.

The second finish behind Brookfield East at Sectionals unfortunately did not qualify the entire team for State. However, placing before DSHA proved to be a huge accomplishment. The girls worked hard throughout the season.

At State, Protz and Porritt performed very well, making it into the round of 16 and playing a doubles team from Middleton, which was the number two seed. After losing their first set, they came back to win their second. Unfortunately, they lost their third set, preventing them from continuing into the quarterfinals. In addition, Semina lost her third match against a junior from Cedarburg, finishing off her successful freshman season.