Varsity Tennis Dominates Westlake 11-1, Vaulting Into Fall Season

Amoli Agarwal, Horizon Editor-in-Chief| September 2, 2022

  • Following the ball, Janya Tellabati ’26 attempts a swinging volley. Tellabati is a new member of the team.

    Tara Kurkal
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  • Elated, Janya Tellabati ’26 and Alex Mepham ’24 high-five after scoring. They won in straight sets.

    Lilybeth Dooley
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  • Brushing up, Dana Kardonik ’24 hits a powerful forehand across the court. Kardonik has been a part of the team since her freshman year.

    Tara Kurkal
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  • Hyping themselves, Kinaa Graham ’23 and Simryn Jacob ’24 high five before their next game. As a team, the two have constantly dominated their opponents.

    Tara Kurkal
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  • Concentrated, Luke Sultzer ’24 follows the ball as he runs back to hit a shot. Sultzer and his teammate Arjun Rajan ’25 easily won their match 8-0.

    Lilybeth Dooley
    '

  • Yelling “Sko Wood” the team cheers on their teammates.

    Lilybeth Dooley
    '
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Spirited cheers and a single-minded concentration led the varsity tennis team to a commanding 11-1 victory over Westlake on Wednesday, Aug. 31.

The doubles’ line-up explosively started off the match, with nearly every team winning the first set. Aditya Paravasthuramesh ’24 and Sibi Raja ’25 took down their opponents easily in a 6-2, 6-0 straight-set win.

“[Sibi and I] play a lot outside high school tennis, and [we’re] pretty good friends outside of school,” Paravasthuramesh said. “We talk a lot and we [both] know how each other plays.”

Girls’ doubles also found success. Simryn Jacob ’24 and Kinaa Graham ’23 sailed through their match, winning 6-0, 6-1, while Dana Kardonik ’24 and Anwi Duduka ’25 triumphed in two sets with a final score of 6-2, 6-0. 

“I think [Anwi and I] have gotten a lot closer and we can both help each other out whenever we’re down, so it’s not one-sided,” Kardonik said. “We can joke around and have fun on court but also focus and get the job done.”

The team finished doubles 6-1. Though Gina Mepham ’23 and Daniel Zhang ’26 narrowly lost their match, they fought until the end of the final tiebreak.

“Because this was our first time playing together, we made a lot of mistakes, and we let them get to our heads,” Mepham said. “If we were to play together more, I think we just have to work on that communication.”

After the doubles matches came to a close, the players immediately jumped into singles. Freshmen and new additions to the team Janya Tellabati and Rachana Akkineni swept their games 8-0 and 8-2. Five singles’ matches later, the team’s victory was secured, adding one more landslide to their growing winning streak.

“Coach [Travis Dalrymple] is really making sure we’re bonding this year and [that] the team spirit is high,” Jacob said. “[We just] need to continue staying humble and sticking to routine.”

The Warriors will battle Lake Travis at home on Wednesday, Sept. 7.