Germantown Friends 2024 Friends School League Champions
Germantown Friends girls' tennis team wins 2024 FSL Championship 3-2 vs. Friends' Central - PSD Photo by Aidan Tyskinski
By: Aidan Tyskinski
PHILADELPHIA – When Germantown Friends freshman Anisa Kim evened her match 1-1 with Friends' Central’s Maddy Jackson in the twilight of Monday night, there was a lot of anxiety in the air. Early in the match, Jackson had injured her leg, and was clearly in pain. Even after putting a knee brace on and consulting the Phoenix’s athletic trainer, it was obvious she would have to get through the rest of the game through sheer will.
“When I first fell, I was scared I was going to have to drop out,” said Jackson. “I kind of immediately after I fell down had a life flash before your eyes (moment), like, oh my gosh I’m going to have to forfeit, and that really scared me.”
Jackson needed to keep going, however, to give Friends' Central a chance to win. The score was tied 2-2 after the Phoenix had taken the two singles matches thanks to Margot Groundwater’s victory over Lucy Gerber and freshman Karishma Satti’s victory over Madelyn Shen in three sets.
GFS Anisa Kim vs. FCS Maddy Jackson's deciding match in the 2024 FSL Championship - PSD Video by Aidan Tyskinski
Meanwhile, the Tigers had taken the two doubles thanks to strong play by sophomore Elie Bekelman and senior Kaitlyn Nam in the first doubles over Lena Jih-Cook and Kiki Troilo, while Anvi Gupta and Sofia O’Sullivan defeated Charlotte Hull and Harper Neczypor.
After Kim tied the match 1-1, a 10-minute break was called before the final set. That set, however, did not come, as both coaching staff’s and the ref decided to call the day due to darkness, deciding the third and deciding set would take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Both Kim and Jackson spent the next 24 hours preparing for the set, albeit in different ways.
“I just got a really good night’s sleep and I ate a lot of carbs,” said Kim. “I knew it was going to be a tough fight like yesterday, and I feel like just preparing everything I knew I could do. That’s kind of what brought me here.”
For Jackson, her main focus was on her knee.
GFS vs. FCS - 2024 FSL Championship Match Play from Day 1: PSD Video by Aidan Tyskinski
“I took a lot of Advil and during lunch just spent an hour with the trainer just doing shocks and heat and ice. I also met with our athletic director and just talked about the match coming up, just all in preparation for today,” Jackson said.
When the final set got underway, Jackson was completely in control. She took a commanding 3-0, and looked poised to bring the Phoenix their second league championship in three years. Kim, however, never let the deficit get to her.
“I always say to myself that, 'it’s not over yet.' There is always a chance of coming back. The greatest players of all time, they come back from 5-0, two sets down, even in men’s. So, I just try to keep that mindset," said Kim.
Anisa Kim talks about what she did to prepare overnight to resume her match and what her motivation was when she was down - PSD Video by Aidan Tyskinski
Maddy Jackson talks about not giving up despite suffering an injury & FCS captain Charlotte Hull was so proud of the way Jackson battled until the end - PSD Video by Aidan Tyskinski
This is not a mindset many freshmen have, especially given the circumstances. But slowly enough, Kim chipped away at the deficit. After winning the next two points, Kim would lose the next one, going down 4-2. However, she would then take the next two points, evening the score at four.
For Friends Central captain and only senior, Charlotte Hull, the match was too much to take.
“I think I said to Margot (Groundwater), ‘I’m shaking, and I’m not even the one on the court.’” Turning to Jackson, she said, “I wish I could’ve taken all your anxiety and had it myself.”
Even after losing her lead, Jackson played with everything she had left, but Kim was just a little bit better. After taking the next point, Kim just needed one more to win the match and the championship. The last point was hard fought, but Kim was able to win it, winning the match 2-1 and giving the Tigers a 3-2 victory.
Kim gave her teammates a lot of credit for helping her in the last match.
“They’ve been so amazing supporting me, and I’m actually proud of them because they stepped up, they cheered loud and I’m really, really happy," said Kim.
With the victory, Germantown Friends have now won back-to-back conference championships, becoming the first repeat champs since Moorestown Friends won three in a row between 2017-19. The victory also ended Friends' Central undefeated record in conference play, making the win for the Tigers a little bit sweeter.