The Henrico/Hanover Middle School League doesn’t declare official champions but Short Pump left no doubt who the best girls’ tennis team was this season.
With an experienced squad that included 10 eighth-graders, Short Pump won all 10 of its matches to finish on top of the 2009 standings.
“There were six eighth-graders on the team this year that actually made the team my first year of coaching,” said Mary Ellen Lahy, who took over the Short Pump program in 2007.
“It was kind of a special year for me, too, to be undefeated. This was the first group that I started coaching, and to see them graduate and see how much they improved and how close they became and how much they worked together to make this an undefeated season was pretty special.”
Short Pump’s closest call came late in the season against Tuckahoe Middle and coach Martha Hodges, who was Lahy’s mentor in middle school before she continued on to a successful career at Douglas Freeman High School.
Without No. 1 singles player Caroline Mosberg (who was sick), the Pumas lost all four singles matches before rallying to claim five doubles victories in a 5-4 decision.
“The biggest reason we beat Tuckahoe was because we did have the depth,” said Lahy. “In doubles, our three, four and five were stronger than their bottom doubles players. So our depth was the difference in that match. Everyone seemed to step up and do their part to pull out the match.”
Short Pump’s team also included six seventh-graders and two sixth-graders.
“We had a lot of players improve from last year, players who were playing doubles that stepped up and played singles this year,” Lahy said. “Our No. 1 doubles team, Alexa Vignone and Emma Garrett, played all three years together.
“They were a powerhouse at No. 1 doubles. They had built up a strong camaraderie and were a great team together. It was great to see them progress. I don’t think they lost a match.
“Then I always counted on Caroline Mosberg to win at No. 1 [singles]. I figured we’d win at least another singles and then the doubles were pretty good this year.”
Short Pump beat Pocahontas, their biggest and closest rival, 6-3. Pocahontas had gone unbeaten last fall to capture the girls’ crown, knocking off Short Pump in a close match along the way.
“I think we were down a couple of players because of the swine flu thing,” said Lahy. “I think that influenced a lot of people’s seasons this year. Pocahontas was also missing a lot of players for that match. It made the whole season a challenge to work with.
“Pocahontas is always a big match for my girls. They’re always excited about it and look forward to it. A lot of them know the girls on that team. We usually play Pocahontas during our spirit week, so everybody is really pumped up.
“When we lost to them last year, it came down to one match and a tiebreaker, so it was nice to beat them this year.”
Pocahontas’ team was not nearly as experienced as Short Pump, which likely played a role in the outcome.
“We graduated our top four,” said Jane Evans, the Pocahontas coach. “All four were undefeated last year. Their top four were all eighth-graders and were extremely experienced. They have some very serious players on that team.”
Lahy will find herself in that position next fall, when she loses 10 of her players, most of whom will go on to Deep Run High School, which has challenged Mills Godwin for Central Region supremacy the past few years.
“It’s going to be very different for me, not to have the same players,” she said. “It could be a down year next year, but we really had a great year this year.”
Short Pump roster
Eighth-graders -- Caroline Mosberg, Abby Mainwaring, Abby Dawsone, Emma Garrett, Alexa Vignone, Maggie Noonan, Katie Leich, Jenna Zimmerman, Payal Shah, Hannah McMichael.
Seventh-graders -- Emily Sheppard, Claire Harper, Sarah Jorhde, Meredith Rose, Alyeena Khan, Maggie Gardner.
Sixth-graders -- Vibha Shekhar, Abby Randall.
Short Pump schedule (with result in parenthesis):
- Moody (7-2)
- Hungary Creek (9-0)
- Brookland (9-0)
- Oak Knoll (7-2)
- Liberty (8-1)
- Chickahominy (6-3)
- John Rolfe (9-0)
- Pocahontas (6-3)
- Tuckahoe (5-4)
- Byrd (9-0)
