By Aiden Ramos and Amilio Venditti – Staff Reporters 

The Jonathan Law girls tennis team recently completed an impressive spring by qualifying for the Class L State Tournament. 

Law finished the season 14-5 – the second-best regular season win total in school history. The team qualified for the SCC and State Tournaments, had win streaks of eight and five during the year, and earned key wins over North Haven and Sacred Heart Academy.

The team was led by senior captains Carol Jiang and Kacey Pagaduan and junior captain Harshitha Kothapalli. Law had four senior starters this year – Jiang, Pagaduan, Brianna Madelung, and Lasya Pydipati. 

Head Coach Mr. Kulenych said he was so proud of the team’s success this year, led by the upperclassmen.

“This group of seniors is so special because they had to work so hard for everything they accomplished over their careers,” Kulenych said. “None of them were on the team as freshmen and all of them were new to tennis when they joined, but they put in the work every season and and offseason to get better. They grew to be senior leaders and captains of our team and some of the best players in our league, and they are incredible examples for the underclassmen for how to carry themselves on and off the court.” 

Pagaduan, who was named with Madelung the All-SCC team for doubles, said the team’s chemistry and improvement became evident in both matches and practices.

“I believe that the team has grown tremendously skill-wise and socially,” Pagaduan said. “From the start of the season, half of the team was new. We were able to connect and bond with each other over time with tennis and we were able to have personalities come out. Another thing I saw was the hard work they put through the season. The team grew so much with their skill and it was clearly shown on the court.” 

Key singles players for Law this season were Kothapalli (1st singles), sophomore Courtney Russo (2nd singles), junior Siya Patil (3rd singles), and junior Rose O’Connell (4th singles). The team also posted an impressive doubles record all season thanks to the play of Pagaduan and Madelung (1st doubles), Jiang and Pydipati (2nd doubles), and freshmen Cora Aitkenhead and Isla McKeand (3rd doubles)

Jiang reflected on the challenges the team faced early on. She mentioned that adapting to a new lineup was tough, but perseverance helped them find their groove in the season.

“I think a big challenge that we faced this year was playing a completely new lineup compared to last year,” Jiang said. “The first few games, and including the practices before the season started, was all about figuring out how we function the best as a team, especially with so many new players joining the team. I helped by staying positive and just being a steady presence for everyone until we found our rhythm.” 

Kothapalli said that bonding moments were essential to building a good team. 

“Through little things like funny pre-game pep talks and dire post-game grubs, my fellow captains and I were able to lead a team that has truly become home over the last couple of months,” Kothapalli said. “Whether it was guiding the team by leading warmups or starting intense sing-alongs on every bus ride, I’m so happy and proud that I can call myself a captain of this team.” 

Madelung hopes her teammates remember the resilience they showed throughout the season. She thinks that unity and effort will continue to pay off in future matches and beyond. 

“I hope that my teammates take away from the season that no matter how difficult the challenges were, we can face them together and find our way to the top, as we showed multiple times in the season,” Madelung said. “If we can continue to put in the hard work, it will all pay off in the end.”

Kulenych said the team’s success this season was a result of their commitment to each other and their ability to work through the grind of a long season.

“I could not be prouder of the way our team competed and performed this season,” Kulenych said. “We had so many new faces on the team this year and didn’t have much varsity experience returning, but the girls showed the power of hard work and dedication. They embraced the grind early in the season and worked together to get better every day and that was the key to our success as a team this season.”