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05/26/2016 12:00 AMCharlotte Babbin has always been intrigued by an interesting dynamic in tennis with how individual results lead to a team victory. Charlotte gets to experience the best of both worlds at Guilford by being a standout doubles player for one of the better squads in the Southern Connecticut Conference.
Charlotte, a sophomore, was drawn to the court when she was four after watching her older sister play. Charlotte joined Indians’ girls’ tennis as a freshman last spring and had a major impact in them making the Class M state final, while both playing singles and teaming up with her twin sister Molly on the doubles side. Charlotte has maintained her steady level of success this spring with a record of 9-2 when playing alongside Molly for team that’s heading back to the postseason.
“You just can’t get mad at yourself or your partner in a match. You also have to focus on yourself and what you can do better because only you can change yourself as a player,” says Charlotte, who’s also played doubles with Kate Dinauer this season. “I feel you always have to play aggressive. You’ll never win a point by hitting a ball lightly. You have to go after every single ball in order to maximize your chances to win points.”
Charlotte received a big jolt of confidence from playing on the singles circuit during last year’s ride through the Class M bracket. Charlotte and her teammates thrived on the big stage and showed the rest of the state that the Indians are not a team to be taken lightly.
“States last year was definitely a confidence boost, mainly because I played singles throughout the tournament. Being able to play well against teams all over the state was really great,” Charlotte says. “As a team, we also realized how strong our team was against the rest of the teams in the state.”
Even though Charlotte is only a sophomore, Head Coach Chris Marra says that she’s already emerging as a team leader given her go-getter attitude on the court and how approachable she is to others off of it.
“Charlotte is a very aggressive player. She takes chances and is constantly learning more about the game,” says Marra. “She is outgoing with her teammates and is a great friend to everyone on the team.”
Although some people might not like shuffling between doubles partners, Charlotte actually feels the switch is beneficial because it helps her realize what she’s doing well and what she needs to do better.
“Molly and I definitely complement each other well. We are supportive of each other and I think I’m aggressive at the net. But she is also consistent along the baseline and helps to keep points going,” says Charlotte. “With Kate, we are both at similar levels and she has a great cross-court backhand. Playing with a different partner helps me to notice my own strengths and weaknesses.”
Charlotte has seen breakthrough victories against some of the SCC’s elite players during the regular season, a trend she hopes to continue in the conference tournament. The Indians also want to make another run in states and Charlotte feels that teamwork and camaraderie will be at the forefront of their effort.
“I’ve been more successful versus the better teams in the conference, so I hope to keep beating the more competitive teams from the SCC in the postseason. I just want to remain competitive with them,” says Charlotte, who thanks her team, Coach Marra, and her family. “For the team, we want to make it as far as we did last year, but we also want to stay together as a team and support each other.”