On Thursday, the Lincoln Lion girl’s tennis team’s season ended, as the Lions suffered a 4-2 loss against Lincoln School in the quarterfinal. Despite the defeat, the Lions showed bravery across both singles and doubles play with several close sets that kept the match close until the final point.
Head Coach Brandon Lahoud reflected on the match with a mix of joy and disappointment.
“I think today we had a very good matchup and the possibility of making it through,” Lahoud said. “Unfortunately, the other team made a little bit more consistency and that’s what got them to win over us 4-2.”
Lincoln kept the match competitive, with #3 singles player Lorelei Archambault winning 6-4, 6-3, and #4 singles player Sia Seth winning 6-2, 6-1.
But ultimately, without their top player Anna Danis, who was out due to a shoulder injury, Lincoln came up short. Lincoln School won at one singles and at all three doubles spots. The match coming down to doubles was something Coach Lahoud and the team had anticipated.
“We knew going into today’s match that doubles were the ones who would have to make or break our game today,” Lahoud said. “So we worked really hard on making sure doubles were prepared as best as they can be so they put their best foot forward. We knew that was going to be the toughest part today.”
For junior player Charlotte Kilsey, who plays first doubles, the playoff brought valuable experience and lessons for the future. “It’s definitely shown me a new side of myself, with my playing and my mentality,” Kilsey said. “And I hope that with this experience, I’ll improve for next year and we can hopefully make it to the championship.”
The Lions’ younger players are already setting their sights on next season..
“Well, we are really lucky. We have a young team this year, so next year, we will have a lot of returning players, which is really exciting,” Lahoud added. “And with the realignment year next year as well, we’re in position to do even better than this year, which is really great… We’re really excited, and a lot of the players are interested in continuing tennis after this season, which will help us be stronger overall.”
As the Lions look ahead, the lessons learned from this playoff will fuel their determination moving forward. The team has built a strong foundation for future success. Their growth, teamwork, and resilience throughout the season show how prepared they are for next year’s season.
