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06/07/2022 12:00 AMThe athletes on the Hand girls’ tennis team never took their sights off making a deep postseason run after legendary coach Kitty Palmer retired prior to the 2022 season. With first-year Head Coach John Gage taking the reins, the Tigers accomplished their goal by going on an exciting ride to the title match of the Class M State Tournament this year.
Hand earned wins versus St. Joseph (4-3), Ellington (6-1), Nonnewaug (7-0), and Valley Regional (7-0) to make it to the state final. The Tigers took a 6-1 loss to Stonington in the championship on June 4 to finish their campaign with an overall record of 15-8.
No. 15 seed Hand went up No. 1 seed Stonington in the Class M State Tournament final at Wesleyan University. While the Tigers knew they would have their hands full with the top seed in the draw, Coach Gage wanted his players to keep things simple and focus on what had made them successful throughout the season.
“Play your tennis, do your best, and take it one point at a time,” Gage said. “Just keep pushing forward and see how far we can go.”
In the end, Stonington defeated Hand by a 6-1 score to win the Class M title. Hand’s No. 2 doubles team of senior captain Bella Vejar and junior Libby Rogers claimed a 6-4, 7-5 victory to account for the Tigers’ point in the contest. Coach Gage and his players felt proud to help Hand return to the state final after the Tigers claimed the Class L crown last season.
With Palmer stepping down, Gage said he knew plenty of people that didn’t think the Tigers would be able to get there for the second year in a row. However, this year’s team proved those doubters wrong.
“Reaching the finals was amazing. I stepped into pretty big shoes this season with Kitty Palmer retiring. We lost a couple of key players from last year’s lineup,” said Gage. “The girls really pulled together and worked hard all year. Despite some tough losses, we kept our heads up. A lot of people didn’t expect us to get as far as we did. Just making it to the state finals was amazing.”
Gage understood that there might be some skeptics when he became the Tigers’ head coach. Gage was replacing a legend in Palmer and was mostly known for his role as Hand’s band director. However, the Tigers meshed nicely with their new coach and bonded as a cohesive unit as the season unfolded. Coach Gage said the chemistry among the Tigers helped propel Hand to the championship match.
“The growth was huge. Some of the kids knew who I was, but there was some trepidation, this band director coaching a really successful girls’ tennis team,” Gage said. “The girls really worked together. They bonded. They all grew immensely as players. I am super proud of them.”
Hand had to win four matches in Class M bracket to set up its showdown with Stonington in the final. The Tigers started their state tourney run by earning a 4-3 home victory versus No. 18 seed St. Joseph in a qualifying-round match on May 27. Claire Langille earned a 6-3, 6-3 win in the No. 1 singles match, while freshman Ella Helfrich won the No. 3 singles match by a 6-3, 6-2 score.
The Tigers’ No. 1 doubles team of senior Breanna Colonese-DiBello and senior Zhu Zhu Berger notched a 7-5, 6-3 win. The outcome came down to the No. 3 doubles matchup. Hand’s tandem of Vejar and freshman Juliana Jorens netted a 6-4, 4-6, 10-3 victory to secure a 4-3 win for Hand.
The Tigers went on to post a 6-1 win at No. 2 seed Ellington in a first-round match on May 31. Langille (6-1, 6-1), junior Laila Haraj-Sai (6-3, 6-1), and Helfrich (6-1, 6-2) were triumphant at the top three singles spots. The Tigers swept doubles play behind victories from their duos of Colonese-DiBello and Berger (6-2, 6-2), Vejar and Rogers (6-1, 6-0), and senior Ella Scarice and sophomore Teagan Ariyan (7-6).
The next day, Hand faced No. 7 seed Nonnewaug on the road in the Class M quarterfinals and posted a 7-0 shutout. Langille (6-0, 6-0), Haraj-Sai (6-3, 6-2), Helfrich (6-1, 6-2), and Jorens (6-3, 5-7, 10-4) were victorious on the singles courts. In doubles play, the Tigers’ duos of Colonese-DiBello and Berger (6-2, 6-1), Vejar and Rogers (6-3, 6-1), and Scarice and Ariyan all came out on the winning side (6-0, 6-3).
Hand’s last match before facing Stonington in the final was a semifinal contest at No. 6 Valley Regional on June 3. The Tigers won recorded a 7-0 shutout over the Warriors to advance to the title bout. Langille (6-1, 6-0), Haraj-Sai, (6-3, 6-4), Helfrich (1-6, 6-1, 6-0), and Jorens (6-4, 6-1) all won their singles matches. In doubles action, Hand’s teams of Colonese-DiBello and Berger (6-0, 6-2), Vejar and Rogers 6-3, 6-3), and Scarice Aryian each claimed victories (6-3, 6-1).
By virtue of competing in the SCC, Coach Gage felt that his team was primed for a postseason run this year. After the Tigers won a tough matchup against St. Joseph in their opener, they were able to focus on the task on hand and focus on performing their best in every contest.
“We had fairly challenging matches all season within the SCC,” Gage said. “The first match against St. Joe’s was really tough. The next three games, we were able to just work on what we needed to work on. We were able to prepare for hopefully advancing to the next round.”
Coach Gage commended the efforts of Hand’s seniors throughout the season. Vejar serves as the team captain in a senior class that also features Berger, Colonese-DiBello, Langille, and Scarice. Gage said that all five seniors proved crucial in the Tigers’ success through their efforts both on and off the court.
“Bella was terrific. She really took the bull by the horns not just as a great tennis player, but she organized fundraisers and pasta parties and always fired up the team. She’s the most enthusiastic member of our team,” said Gage. “The five seniors really led everyone and worked together well. They brought team bonding, spirit and camaraderie.”
On the bus ride home from the state final, the returning Tigers were already asking Coach Gage about next year’s lineup. He was also thinking about potential lineups. While Hand will be losing five talented seniors, Gage said they’ve established a solid foundation that has the Tigers set up in great shape for more success next year.
“I’d like to maintain what has been done in the past and keep growing. I look forward to getting more players involved. Not just new players, but getting players who didn’t make the lineup this year into the lineup next year,” Gage said. “It’s exciting to think about the possibilities next year. We want to continue growing as a team and maybe even win the State Tournament next year.”
The athletes on the Hand girls’ tennis team are senior captain Bella Vejar; seniors Zhu Zhu Berger, Breanna Colonese-DiBello, Claire Langille, and Ella Scarice; juniors Sofia Felgate, Lila Haraj-Sai, and Libby Rogers; sophomores Hayden Agree, Teagan Ariyan, Kayla Johnson, and Joyce Li; freshmen Abigail Bishop, Ella Helfrich, Juliana Jorens, Antoinette Lowy and Mia Scott.