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07/15/2017 12:00 AMThe athletes on the 2017 edition of the Hand girls’ tennis team believed that they had the heart, competitiveness, and fortitude that they needed to reach the top. As a result, the Tigers put together a perfect season that featured a pair of championships this spring.
Head Coach Kitty Palmer’s squad went 15-0 for the regular season, after which Hand beat Law, North Haven, and Amity to claim its seventh SCC Tournament title. The Tigers clinched their crown with a 4-3 win over an Amity squad that had defeated them in last year’s conference final.
Then in the Class M State Tournament, No. 2 seed Hand upended Lauralton Hall, Barlow, and Pomperaug in its first three matches before posting a 5-2 victory versus Guilford in final. The victory marked the Tigers’ first state title in five years, their third overall, and put a bow on their unblemished record of 22-0 for the campaign.
“We certainly surpassed the goals we had coming into the season. We wanted to make SCCs and get back to the final, and we did it,” said Coach Palmer, whose team lost in the SCC and Class M finals in last season. “We were a younger team this year with a lot of inexperience going in, but we surpassed our expectations. Neither I nor any of the girls nowhere near thought we’d win states, but we did, and the girls never wavered.”
One of the Tigers’ biggest moments of the season came at the get-go, when they scored a crucial Opening Day victory at defending league champion Amity. The win paved the way to Hand’s 3-0 season sweep of the Spartans, as well as a couple of other SCC powerhouses.
“Our biggest moment came in our first match against Amity. It served as a springboard for us for the rest of the year. It gave us confidence and proved we belonged with them,” Palmer said. “With states, we beat Guilford three times this year, which isn’t easy. We also beat Lauralton Hall three times, including states, and they beat us in the state final last season.”
Hand’s three seniors severed as the team’s senior captains this season. On the singles side, No. 1 player Ankita Roychoudhury collected eight victories while going toe to toe against the opposition’s toughest adversaries on a daily basis en route to making the All-SCC Division I Team. For doubles, the Tigers’ No. 2 pairing of Renee Tracy and Grace Squitiero went 22-2, qualified for the State Open, and, along with Roychoudhury, set an example of the power of perseverance on the court.
“Our senior captains were very instrumental in our success,” Coach Palmer said. “Renee and Grace fought for every point and game. They were very competitive and set good examples. Ankita played the toughest players from each team and put out her best effort in competitive matches. She always gave 100 percent.”
The Tigers’ top doubles team of freshmen Anna Lang and Sam Riordan went 26-1 to garner All-SCC recognition, and they also took home All-State Team honors by virtue of making the semifinals of the State Open. In terms of team awards, Roychoudhury was named Hand’s Most Valuable Player, junior No. 3 singles player Ellie Weinstein won the Sportsmanship Award after going 18-4, Tracy and Squitiero shared the Coach’s Award, and junior No. 3 doubles player Nichole Goldfeder was selected as Hand’s Most Improved Player. Goldfeder and fellow junior Nelle Karas won the state-title clinching match against Guilford to finish off their 18-1 campaign.
Additionally, junior Lee Jiaen went 18-4 at the No. 2 singles position, while freshman Anne Barrett finished 22-0 at No. 4 singles and was also named the SCC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Junior Jennifer Burris and sophomores Clare Nelson and Catherine Aranow rounded out Hand’s roster.
The Tigers will certainly be returning a young bunch in their quest to defend their two titles in 2018, although they’ll also be returning a bunch of players who’ve gained considerable experience and seen tremendous success on the postseason stage. As she reflects upon what her team achieved this year, Coach Palmer thinks about a group of athletes who gave everything they had every day, while never giving her any excuses.
“We’ll have six juniors from this year who’ll be seniors and two who didn’t play this year, so we’re hoping they’ll step in and help us. We have good leadership and experience there and now also with our underclassmen from this year,” Coach Palmer said. “This year was something we never expected, and it was a dream season. There were times we had tough days and close matches, but they persevered every day, whether it was too cold or too hot out there. They kept being competitive and tried their hardest.”
From the Sidelines
Previously, when the league had a two-division format, Hand won three straight SCC Division I Tournament titles in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Hand also earned SCC Tournament titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
For its prior state crowns, Hand took Class M titles in 2011 and 2012. The Tigers also appeared in the Class M final in 2001, 2008, and 2016.
Hand’s regular season wins came against Amity (5-2 and 6-1), Shelton (7-0), Sacred Heart Academy (6-0), Lauralton Hall (5-2 and 6-1), Guilford (4-3 and 5-2), North Haven (6-1), Law (7-0), Mercy (7-0), Hamden (7-0), Sheehan (6-1), Branford (7-0), and Cheshire (7-0). In SCCs, Hand dispatched Law (7-0), North Haven (5-2), and Amity (4-3). For states, the team defeated Lauralton Hall (6-1), Barlow (6-1), Pomperaug (7-0), and Guilford (5-2).