For the fourth year in a row, the girls varsity tennis team won the PVAC championship. After defeating Washington International School (WIS) in their final match of the season on Oct. 30, the Lions clinched the title and continued their reign as champions.
Before their recent four-year streak of championship successes, the last time the Lions won the girls varsity tennis championship was in 2012. Since 2021, the team has won the PVAC championship each year, the last three of which were led by head coach and health and exercise science teacher Alexander Kirsch. In preparing for each championship, Kirsch emphasized the importance of both the physical and mental fitness.
“We talked a lot about your mentality, having a positive mindset and that you couldn’t think too big picture,” Kirsch said. “You couldn’t just win the whole two days in one point or within one game. You really had to focus on every point.”
The Lions lost to WIS twice during the regular season. Despite these losses, the team went on to beat them in championships, winning a singles match and both doubles matches.
“The fact that we came back and flipped the narrative was incredible,” junior Maya Greenblum said. “I don’t think that people realize the story behind the championship and how we were able to get there, because it’s not ordinary, it’s extraordinary.”
Ultimately, the team went 7-3 in the regular season and won the championship with seven points. WIS scored six points, The Field School scored two and Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy scored no points, crowning JDS the champions. According to Greenblum, the challenges earlier in the season led the team to work harder in order to win the championship.
“There’s no group of girls I’d rather play on the court with and learn from and grow from,” Greenblum said. “The fact that we managed to overcome the challenges of the season in order to win the championship was unbelievable.”
The tennis team tends to be smaller compared to other JDS teams, and with only seven players, this year’s team was no exception. For the two seniors on the team, captains Lily Rulnick and Georgia Lindenauer, this win meant that they won the championship each year of their high school careers.
“Four years is a really long time,” Lindenauer said. “I think it says a lot about our team that we’ve been able to keep it up for my entire high school career … It says a lot about my personal growth, but also about the growth of the team and our ability to stick with it.”
Regardless of any challenges next season, Kirsch hopes to continue the winning streak in years to come.
“I think it’s just super notable, when you look at just how many accolades have been collected by our girls tennis team over the last three years and four years,” Kirsch said. “The girls have all improved, they’ve all come such a long way from when they started and should be proud.”
