Girls Tennis Team
At the beginning of this year, the Cliffside Park Girls Tennis team lost two of their most important members, coaches Mr. Jannucci and Ms. St Thomas. Preceding his departure, Mr. Jannucci left the team with a few inspiring words. “I know you all will have a great year. You have two amazing captains and a core of committed teammates who will push you to be your best. I have seen so much progress from everyone on this team, and I know there is still so much progress ahead.”
The girls practiced in the off-season on their own, with the help of their encouraging captains, Mariela Rivera and Arianna Khelil. Even though the captains kept the off-season practices optional, almost everybody from the top of Varsity to the bottom of JV showed up every single morning.
Just before the official start of the season, the girls tennis team received two new coaches, Dr. Meier, for Varsity, and Ms. Salvatierra, for Junior Varsity. With the leadership of their dedicated coaches and captains, the 2019 girls tennis season started off outstandingly successful. “Our goals are to continually improve our skills and our game of tennis. The wonderful thing about the game of tennis is that it’s a lifelong sport...This season is not a trip, it’s the beginning of a lifelong journey. The key to a successful life is exercise. Tennis is one way to step into that direction,” explained Dr. Meier when asked about his what his goals were for the team for this season.
Their hard work started paying off on September 7th, when the varsity players tied for first place with Fort Lee at the Comet Invitational Tennis Tournament. Single players Mariela Rivera, Arianna Khelil, and Lucy Zhao won all of their matches. Lucy completed her matches despite an ankle injury that occurred during the game. Other players suffered similar injuries, but this did not stop the girls from winning their matches. Their victories are a result of all the hard work that the girls put in throughout the off season. The coaches did a great job of preparing the team physically and mentally, as well as captains, Mariela Rivera and Arianna Kehlil, who encouraged the team to keep pushing forward throughout. “I’m so proud of the team we’ve become. Keep it up,” Mariela said.