In a tense matchup between the Montoursville girls’ tennis team and Lewisburg, Montoursville won their annual Queen of the Court Tournament for the fifth year in a row. It was a close competition, and the Warriors came out on top by winning three matches and only losing two.
The first singles match began with Senior Jill Stone losing her match 4-6, 2-6, The second round of singles concluded with Sophomore Elsa Kehrer winning her match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, and lastly, the third match was a nerve-racking loss by Senior Ally Witter who lost 3-6.
A 6-1, 6-0 victory was obtained beginning with the first match of doubles, led by Junior Ali Ravert and Senior Kendall Simms, Seniors Lila Phillips and Mira Dimassimo contributed to the team next by winning 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 7-5.
To prepare for the tournament the girls practiced as normal.
“We warmed up as usual, doing our stretches, rallying, and then practicing serves,” DiMassimo said.
Witter and Kehrer both expected to win this tournament because they had done so every year before, so they said they were not surprised when they became the 2024 Queen of the Court champions and defeated Lewisburg at the same time.
Kehrer has won her match two years in a row, last year as the third singles match, and she said, “I hope to keep the streak going my junior and senior year. It will be super exciting if we stay undefeated in the tournament.”
Witter also played in the tournament last year as the first match of doubles alongside Senior Lily Fortin and won her match. When talking about her match, Witter said, “Playing that match, I was not locked in. However, watching my teammates win close matches was entertaining.”
After Ravert, Simms, and Kehrer’s wins, the score was Montoursville 2, Lewisburg, 2. DiMassimo and Phillips were the second doubles match, as well as the tiebreaker.
“The match was very stressful because if we lost, the team would have lost the tournament for the first time in years,” DiMassimo said. “Ultimately we were the last people playing on the court, and it felt like all eyes were on us.”
DiMassimo and Phillip’s match went into a nail-biting ten-point tiebreaker. Because it was the last match, the entire team stood watching from the outside of the fence and cheering them on.
“We are all really good friends, and we build each other up to get motivated,” Kehrer said.
“I was glad the match was over because of how long it lasted, and I was relieved that we came out on top,” DiMassimo said.
When talking about the moments after DiMassimo and Phillips’s victory, Kehrer said, “We cheered for them and went back to the pavilion to congratulate them.”
Currently, the team has a 10-5 record.
At the time of this article’s deadline, Witter talked about the upcoming matches saying, “Next [Sept. 26] is our senior night, and we’re hoping to get a good win against Mifflinburg and keep winning.”
Featured photo- Junior Ali Ravert, sophomore Elsa Kehrer, senior Mira DiMassimo, senior Jill Stone, senior Ally Witter, senior Lila Phillips, and senior Kendall Simms pose with a number one holding their trophy. They celebrated their first-place victory with a new trophy to add to their collection. Photo by Becky Phillips
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