By Delaney Morrin – Staff Reporter

The Law girls tennis team has been working tirelessly for their upcoming spring season.

After an extremely successful season in 2025, the team is working even harder to break records and achieve its goals for 2026. Last year, the team finished with the second-most regular-season wins in school history with 14 and qualified for the SCC and State tournaments.

This year’s team will be led by senior captains Kayla Markowitz, Harshitha Kothapalli, and Siya Patil.

“To me, being captain is not only being able to lead my team on the courts, but also being a positive example for younger players, and a supportive friend who will always lend a helping hand.” Markowitz said, “As captain, the most important thing is that everyone feels like they are an important asset to the team, because I truly believe that every single player contributes so much in a unique way.”

Head Coach Mr. Kulenych said the team has already showcased hard work, dedication, teamwork, and resilience in early-season practices.

“We have so much potential on this year’s team,” Kulenych said. “Everyone on the team embraces the day-to-day grind, pulls for one another, and competes hard no matter the opponent. We have a lot of experience returning at the top of the lineup and a group of young players that will make an impact for years to come.”

Aside from the three senior captains, key contributors to the varsity team this year will be seniors Rose O’Connell and Layla Alogna, junior Courtney Russo, and sophomores Cora Aitkenhead, Isla McKeand, Emma Ciccarelli, and Vanessa Messina.

The upperclassmen on the team have taken leadership in helping the underclassmen feel confident and improve their skills. 

“We encourage and motivate the underclassmen by building their skills, mentoring them on technique, and, most importantly, organizing team-bonding activities so everyone feels welcome and included,” Patil said.

According to Kothapalli, the team is extremely committed and excited for this upcoming season. 

“We went into last season not knowing what our record was going to look like, but we worked twice as hard, and left the season with a record-breaking team,” Kothapalli said. “This season we have a challenging schedule ahead of us, but I know that these girls are more than motivated to constantly be better versions of themselves on and off the court.”

This year’s team has already created strong relationships with one another. Returning players have been a key factor in helping underclassmen who are experiencing their first season on the team.

“So far, my experience on the tennis team has been awesome,” freshman Olivia Armstrong said, “Everybody has been so welcoming and very sweet. My teammates have helped me improve by telling me skills that I could work on to help me become a better tennis player.”