The seniors (from left) Zac Zhu, Lisa Cunningham, Rebecca Sellinger, Caitlin Hoos, Molly Smith, Angela Whittam, Nadia Schimony, Karley Manzo, Bridget DeHaven (not pictured: Maddie Baldini)
The Lansdale Catholic girls' tennis team is heading to the championship. The girls defeated Archbishop Carroll on Thursday night, confirming their spot in the championship match.
Maddie Baldini, escorted by her father, Mike Baldini, during senior night introductions.- PSD Photo
As their last home match took place, the team also celebrated their seniors who will be going to college next year. This year, Maddie Baldini, Lisa Cunningham, Bridget DeHaven, Caitlin Hoos, Karley Manzo, Nadia Schimony, Rebecca Sellinger, Molly Smith, Angela Whittam and Zac Zhu were honored during senior night. Each individual player was escorted by their parents or guardians while the rest of the team, friends and members of the Archbishop Carroll girl’s tennis team held up rackets for them to walk through. Coach Wendy Bradshaw introduced each player and said a short, thoughtful speech personal to that senior.
Angela Whittam, a graduating senior and a member of the second doubles team, commented on the event and said, “Senior night was definitely the highlight of my season. It was so nice to see everything the team did for the seniors and there was such a great turnout with all our friends and family. I can't believe it's already over. I wish I could do it all over again, especially being able to walk through the tunnel of rackets!”
Caitlin Hoos also added, “It was an amazing night to start, but winning my match, and winning the playoff game while having senior night made it perfect. It was kind of a nice last time thing that was both sad and happy because I am grateful for all the years I have played and how far we have come. I feel truly blessed and I will always remember that night.”
The final score of the match was 5-0. Each player, on both teams, fought effortlessly for a spot in the championship. Unfortunately, during the second set of her match, Yvonne Lewis from Archbishop Carroll was forced to forfeit due to a medical issue. Her opponent, Molly Smith, said, “I felt really bad that Yvonne had to forfeit because she is such a nice person and a great player on and off the court, however, her health is the most important thing so I was glad she was able to recover.” Both teams applauded her as she exited the court.
While the match was taking place, family, friends and both teams all shared in the celebration for the seniors. There was food for everyone to feast on, a collage with pictures of the team as well as a court sign that included all of the senior’s names, both made by Bradshaw. Maddie Baldini applauded the coach and the other teammates’ hard work and said, “Senior night was a lot of fun. I'm so appreciative of the coach, parents and awesome underclassmen who helped organize it. They did a fantastic job and I was really happy with how it turned out. Senior night is something I had looked forward to since I started playing tennis and I will really miss all of my senior teammates and underclassmen that helped us get to the championship.”
The senior girls in front of their court sign, made by their coach, Wendy Bradshaw. (from left: Bridget DeHaven, Karley Manzo, Lisa Cunningham, Rebecca Sellinger, Angela Whittam, Molly Smith, Zac Zhu, Nadia Schimony, Cailtlin Hoos. not pictured: Maddie Ba
The night as a whole was a complete success and was a wonderful way to commemorate the seniors and all of their accomplishments on the team. It was also a great way to begin to say goodbye to this amazing season. Bridget DeHaven, a doubles player for Lansdale, said, “I am very upset that this season is ending, but am happy that I can say it was the best season ever.”