Sacred Heart Greenwich Is On a Roll, Starts 7-0

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The Sacred Heart Greenwich tennis team moved to 7-0 on the season with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Hopkins. (John Ferris Robben photo)
The Sacred Heart Greenwich tennis team moved to 7-0 on the season with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Hopkins. (John Ferris Robben photo)

The Sacred Heart Greenwich tennis team has been on a roll.

After marching through last season undefeated, the Tigers are younger than teams in the past, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be any less dominant.

With a talented mix of young tennis stars and seasoned veterans, Sacred Heart head coach Anne Fraser has her team setting its sights on another magical season. Not just for this year, but for several years to come.

“This year we have such a strong team and it’s such a blast to be a part of such a close-knit team,” Juliette Guice said. “The team is so encouraging and supportive of each other. It is an individual sport, but we all have to work as a team and help each other out. We pump each other up, and that’s really important.”

Last season, the Tigers were unstoppable in the Fairchester Athletic Association, going 15-0 and claiming the FAA championship in grand fashion by beating School of the Holy Child.

The Sacred Heart Greenwich tennis team moved to 7-0 on the season with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Hopkins. (John Ferris Robben photo)
The Sacred Heart Greenwich tennis team moved to 7-0 on the season with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Hopkins. (John Ferris Robben photo)

So far this season, CSH has been lights out. After another thrilling victory Tuesday afternoon against Hopkins, the Tigers have started the season 7-0. In addition to Hopkins, Sacred Heart has victories over Hotchkiss, Greenwich Academy and Choate, just to name a few.

“It’s unbelievable how far this program has come,” said Fraser. “We were not expecting to start undefeated this year because it’s such a young team. We knew down the road they were going to be really good and win a lot of matches, but we were not expecting to come in with such a bang.”

Brooke Wilkens and Madison Miles, both seniors, are leading the Tigers this season as captains.

While they are both incredibly talented on the court, it’s their ability to teach the younger athletes on the team that as been a highlight for Fraser.

“They are very wise and experienced players,” Fraser said. “They are both very good at bringing them into the structure on how we practice and do things. They don’t let the team go off track in practices. Last year Madison didn’t lose a match and so far she just as strong. Brooke probably is one of the strongest doubles players we’ve ever had at Sacred Heart.”

Playing No. 1 singles for the Tigers this season is Sam Falcon.

“It’s a lot of fun to play on this team,” Falcon said. “We are support each other and there’s a lot of team spirit. We play a lot of matches in practice and I think that helps us prepare for our matches in games. I think there’s some pressure on us because of our recent success, but pressure is exciting.”

In addition to the captains and Falcon, several other athletes will be looked upon to drive home some victories for CSH. Both Stephanie and Jackie Beshoory have been unbeatable. Last year Jackie was at No. 4 singles and never lost a set.

“The Beshoory sisters are a huge help to us,” Fraser said. “They work very hard, are both dedicated to the sport. They practice here and in their tournament training program and they are solid, hard-working kids.”

This year Jackie, who is competing in her third year with the program, has moved up to No. 3 singles.

“I think we have all grown as a family,” Jackie Beshoory said. “Although the season is young, I think we have become a close family. There’s a lot of pressure this year, but I think overall it’s fun to say that we were undefeated last year and are looking for the same this year. We just want to play to the best of our ability.”

Jackie’s younger sister Stephanie competes at doubles with captain Wilkens, however when Sacred Heart plays a boarding school, Stephanie Bashoory plays No. 5 singles.

“I think it’s really cool to be on this team and see all the talent that we have,” Stephanie Bashoory said. “The expectation levels on this team are very high, considering the amount of talent that we have. Some times there’s a lot of pressure, but it’s still a lot of fun more than anything.”

The Sacred Heart Greenwich tennis team dominated Masters School Monday afternoon to improve to 6-0 on the season. (John Ferris Robben photo)
The Sacred Heart Greenwich tennis team dominated Masters School Monday afternoon to improve to 6-0 on the season. (John Ferris Robben photo)

Another improved Tiger is Nathalie Perreault, who is playing No. 4 singles this season.

“She has improved so much,” Fraser said. “She has gotten a lot more solid in terms of competing. She always had the beautiful stroke and moved well, but when she played matches she would be timid and move backwards. Now she’s aggressive and winning more matches.”

In her second year on the team, Perreault has been one of the team’s go to athletes.

“Everybody here has been very welcoming and inviting,” Perreault said. “We have a lot of team spirit and we are all consistent. Everybody’s amazing and I am so happy to be on this team. There’s a little more pressure being on a team that doesn’t lose that much, but it’s really exciting.”

One of the keys to Sacred Heart Greenwich’s success is their constant work on doubles during practice. Whenever CSH plays a boarding school, the format is a three doubles and six singles matches. So for them to hopefully pick up three matches at doubles, it could go a long way to the Tigers netting a team victory.

“We really want to work on the girls playing doubles because that’s something the younger athletes coming in here don’t have any experience playing,” Fraser said. “Most of our practices are dedicated to doubles, strategy, volleys, serving and positioning. If we could play good doubles by the end of the season, we will be happy with that.”

Kensi Almeida plays doubles with Guice this season and has been key to the team’s success at doubles.

As a senior on the roster, Almeida knows the importance of veteran leadership on a young roster.

“It’s a lot different this year for me on the team because I feel more like a leader and it’s all about the team,” Almeida said. “It’s a lot of fun to grow as a player. I think overall we have been a strong team, but now we are building from younger players and that will let us stay strong for a long time and make our team better.”

While the team has its usual high expectations, Fraser said that there’s still work to be done.

“We are really working hard on volleys, positioning and footwork,” Fraser said. “Everybody can improve their footwork. Keep moving their feet.”

The Sacred Heart Greenwich tennis team kept its perfect season in tact Tuesday afternoon, winning another close contest with Hopkins School 4-3.

The Tigers netted two victories in both doubles and singles to clinch the match. At No. 2 singles, Miles had little issues with Hopkins’ Jackie Berkowitz, winning 6-0, 6-1. Not to be outdone was Jackie Beshoory, who dispatched Sam Phelan at No. 3 singles 6-1, 6-1.

In doubles, the Sacred Heart duo of Wilkens and Stephanie Beshoory finished off Hopkins’ Jen Levine and Catherine DuBoulay in a hard-fought three-set victory 6-4, 5-7, 10-6. At No. 3 doubles, the Greenwich duo of Ally Schwarz and Megan Farrell were victorious over Gabby Olshan-Cantin and Catey Lasershon 6-4, 6-1.

The victory came a day before the Tigers hosted Masters and dominated from start to finish in the 7-0 win.

“This was a great win,” Fraser said. “We are very lucky to have such a strong team that is young. We have some very experienced captains and they have helped the younger talent here succeed. We played really well today and I am happy for the team.”

The Tigers were lights out at singles, winning all four matches. In fact, Sacred Heart won every game 6-0 throughout the singles competition.

At No. 1 singles, Falcon took care of Julia Poster, while Miles finished off Sophie Cohen at No. 2 singles. Competing at No. 3 was Jackie Beshoory and she blanked Haley Goodman. Rounding out singles was No. 4 player Perreault, who dispatched Alex Limpe.

Sacred Heart also won all three doubles matches against Masters. At No. 1 doubles was Wilkens and Stephanie Beshoory, as the beat Masters’ Zoe Kreutzer and Daisy Sulavik 6-2, 6-1. Not to be outdone was the CSH duo of Almeida and Guice, who made quick work of Katie Accetta and Shelly Wang, 6-1, 6-0.

Competing at No. 3 doubles was Ally Schwarz and Megan Farrell, who had a tough first set, winning 6-4, but the blanked the Masters duo of Mary Sulavik and Cindy Wang, 6-0, in the second frame.

“I was just expecting a good, solid season where we could get a top three finish,” Fraser said. “But if we could go all the way, that would be great. If we don’t, it will hopefully happen next year. It’s so much fun to coach the girls. The kids are so cute and we have a nice community feeling to this team. We have so much fun.”

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