The nerves started creeping in during our match against Glen Ridge.  The school had lost to them in the state sectional finals five years in a row, but this time we were playing them in the semi finals.  Alex Maglaras and I, being seniors and the captains of the team,  wanted nothing more than to beat Glen Ridge.  Even if we lost in the final, I wouldn’t care for we had achieved something we hadn’t in a while.  My partner and I, Ana Trajanovic, play first doubles and we have a great understanding since we have played together for two years.  We beat our opponents easily, calming my nerves just a bit.  Our first singles player, Kathy Ge, also won her match with ease, meaning we only needed one more win to beat Glen Ridge.  Our second singles player, Stephanie Maluso, and our second doubles, Mary and Cristina Riccio, were both taken to three sets and nothing could have been more nerve wracking.  I sat with Kathy at the sideline of Stephanie’s match, biting my nails and constantly covering my eyes, for I couldn’t bear to watch such an intense match.  In the end, we pulled off the biggest win of my high school tennis career.  Our team was ecstatic to say the least.

We went on to play the sectional finals, which again was a very close match.  We were tied at 2-2, but after a long tough match Kathy was able to pull off the win.  My teammates ran to the court and gave each other hugs.  Some of us were crying tears of joy, while some of us were just speechless.  Alex and I couldn’t believe we had just won the sectional finals, for this was our dream since freshman year.

Our next goal was to win the state group 1 finals, which took place in Mercer County Park.  I was not only excited, for this was a new experience for everyone on the team, but it was going to be a chance for out team to bond and hang out.  We won our first match, which gave us two hours to let it sink in that we were going to be playing in the finals.  Coach Goldstein constantly told us to sit in the shade because he wanted us to be well rested for the final.  We ate sandwiches, laughed and got attacked by bees multiple times.  Finally it was time for us to play, but I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be. I was pretty confident that my team could pull it out.  Turns out I was right. We were soon holding the State Group 1 trophy.  We took about 300 hundred pictures, all of us taking turns holding the trophy.  To have that trophy in my hand was something that I longed for so long and finally achieving that goal was amazing.

This tennis season has been great not only for all our achievements, but also for all the memories we have made.  I love how supportive we are of each other, which is one of the major reasons why we were able to pull off the win.  We aren’t only teammates, but great friends as well.  I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my time playing high school tennis.