The Middlesex Girls' Varsity Tennis team won its season opener against Concord Academy 12 - 3 Wednesday afternoon at home. After a the rain stopped this morning, the sun and gusts of wind dried off the courts, so the match was able to be played outside. The contest began with temperatures in the low 60s, sun over head, and windy conditions. 

Led by senior captain Maud McCole, Middlesex secured 11 out of 12 of the singles points and clinched the win before going into doubles. Overall the Zebras showcased their hard work these past weeks to develop a consistent, focused game and triumphed through strong mental toughness. McCole's set scores 6 - 1, 6 - 4 do not show the mentally grueling fight she won on each rally and each game's pressure points. Her opponent was up 4 - 0 at one point in the second set; McCole then honed her focus and won the next 6 games to capture the point for her team - an impressive feat against a powerful baseliner. Rookie freshmen Marissa Fadely and Neha Kommineni showed their credentials on the court, out-hitting their opponents and winning both their sets with grace and good consistency. Averill Emery '20 struggled to find her flow at the beginning against a soft but consistent hitter and dropped the first set. She refocused in the second set and showed off her determination to play her own game, coming back to win the point for her team in a tiebreaker. Despite being off to a slow start, Jessica Andrews '21 hit her stride halfway through the first set and played a strategic, consistent game to win the long points and take her sets 6 - 4, 6 - 1. Senior Margaret Rand played like the experienced veteran she is, taking the first set 6 - 0. After a long break between sets due to her opponent's injury, she struggled to maintain her momentum. Down 1 - 4 at one point into the second set, Margaret was determined to take each point at a time to dig herself out of the hole and come back to win the set 7 - 5. 

The overall match was won heading into doubles, and all our teams put forward impressive efforts. McCole and Fadely worked together as a steady team to outhit their opponents 8 - 2 and take the final point for Middlesex. 

Our squad will travel to face Concord-Carlisle H.S. in a scrimmage Thursday afternoon and have one more practice before our first ISL match against St. Mark's Saturday.