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07/14/2018 12:00 AMNo matter the conditions on the court or who the opponent was on the other side of that court, every member of the Hand girls’ tennis team focused on doing her job to help the Tigers accumulate victories this spring. This simple, yet effective approach resulted in a domino effect for the Tigers, who turned in a historic season that saw them continue their reign atop the SCC and then go on another nice run in the State Tournament.
Head Coach Kitty Palmer’s squad finished the regular season with a perfect record of 17-0, notching 11 of those victories by either a 7-0 or 6-1 score. After that, Hand entered the SCC Tournament as the defending champion and top seed. The Tigers made their way through the conference bracket by defeating Foran (7-0) in the quarterfinals and Lauralton Hall (5-2) in the semis, after which they earned a 5-2 win versus No. 3 seed Amity at Yale University on May 23 to claim the SCC crown for the second-consecutive year. This victory also marked Hand’s fifth conference title since 2012 and its eighth overall.
Then in the Class L State Tournament, the 2nd-seeded Tigers posted 7-0 victories over No. 18 Ridgefield and No. 7 seed Guilford to reach the semifinal round, where they took a 6-1 defeat against No. 3 Darien for their first loss since the 2016 Class M State Tournament final. Hand finished the year with an overall record of 22-1.
Coach Palmer said that the Tigers’ performance versus a formidable opponent during a preseason scrimmage provided a telling sign of what was in store for her squad this spring.
“We had a close scrimmage with Greenwich and, after that, knew we had the chance for a special year. Every match, they were determined not to lose,” Palmer said. “They managed to win their matches, which led to our team record. They pulled out the three-set wins when they had to. I was extremely pleased with this year. They came to play. Even with the cold and rain in April, they didn’t let it bother them and kept fighting.”
Of course, it was a tremendous moment for the Tigers when they defended their SCC title. However, Coach Palmer said that Hand had plenty of memorable matches that came before the team secured its latest conference banner.
“It’s always great to win at Amity, which was our first match of the year, and it was so cold that day,” said Palmer, who finished her 18th campaign as Hand’s head coach. “All three Guilford matches were close on the court with some three-setters. We knew Guilford would push us. In states, being in Class L was an adjustment, but our depth got us far this year. After the year was over, we felt we were one of the top five teams in the state.”
The Tigers’ No. 2 doubles team of seniors Nikki Goldfeder and Nell Karas served as the club’s captains and finished with a record of 20-3 on the year. Goldfeder and Karas were joined by fellow seniors Ellie Weinstein, who went 17-3 at No. 4 singles; Lee Jiaen, who had an excellent season at No. 1 doubles; and the team of Jen Burris and Clare Nelson, who went 16-5 playing No. 3 doubles.
“Five of them played for four years, and they always contributed to the team and were supportive of others,” Palmer said. “They kept everyone focused, but also made sure the team was having fun at practices. We had a nice vibe at practice every day, and they were all determined come game time.”
Sophomore No. 1 singles player Sam Riordan, who went 20-3, was named to the All-SCC Team alongside her sister, freshman Lindsay Riordan, who was 22-1 playing No. 2 singles this season. Hand’s No. 1 doubles tandem of Jiaen and sophomore Anna Lang also made All-SCC after posting a record of 23-0. Sam Riordan was also the named Most Outstanding Player of the SCC Tournament and made the All-State Team. Lang, Jiaen, and Sam Riordan were additionally selected to the New Haven Register’s All-Area Team.
For team awards, Sam Riordan was named Hand’s Most Valuable Player, while Burris was honored as the Tigers’ Most Improved Player. Senior captains Goldfeder and Karas shared the Coach’s Award, plus Jiaen was the Sportsmanship Award winner after completing a high-school career that saw her play in every match throughout her four-year tenure.
The Tigers will welcome back the bulk of their singles lineup next year with the Riordan sisters, as well as sophomore Annie Barrett, who finished with a record of 22-1 at No. 3 singles this season. As Hand strives toward the SCC three-peat and beyond, Coach Palmer knows that it will boil down to how the new and returning players mesh when the spring of 2019 arrives.
“We’re fortunate to have our top three singles players and a No. 1 doubles player back,” said Palmer. “We’re still young in the top slots, which is a good backbone to have going into next year. It all depends on how the pieces work themselves into the lineup.”