Shawn Lisann (11), Anthony Guerrera (12), Elena Turner (12), Jennifer Ha (11), Dana Edson (12) at practice. Photos by Caroline Watkins/The Connection
Mclean’s 12U Intermediate USTA Junior Team battled against eight other competitive tennis teams in Virginia on July 23, including “The Terminetters” of Virginia Beach, Westwood Club of Richmond and a familiar foe to the team, Herndon’s Worldgate Rascals. Although McLean beat Virginia Beach and Richmond earlier in the tournament, they came second overall to Worldgate by one game. “We played a hard match because they were probably the best team,” athlete Jennifer Ha said. “We lost overall by one game (33-32) but still managed to get first in our flight that day.”
A quick recap of the tournament: Anthony Guerrera had a great victory in boys singles with an 8-0 score. McLean’s Dana Edson lost in girls singles (5-8) after a tough game. Jennifer Ha and Elena Turner gained points for the team in girls doubles, earning 8-0 while Shawn Lisann and Jake McGowan played a difficult game in boys singles, losing 8-0. Connie McGowan, mother of Jake McGowan, commented on the final results: “It was a disappointing loss since it was terribly close. But they were still proud of the second place outcome and are still qualifying to move on to sectionals.”
The team feels a mixture of emotions moving into sectionals at Boar’s Head, where they will start their first match on Aug. 8. While some are thrilled for a Worldgate rematch, others are nervous due to the tough competition. “I feel mostly excited going into sectionals but meanwhile I feel some pressure since we will have top-level competition playing the best teams of the Mid-Atlantic,” said athlete Anthony Guerrera.
Whatever the results may be at sectionals, the members plan on continuing their tennis careers for many years to come. Whether they have been playing for two or seven years, many of the members plan on pursuing their passion for tennis at the high school or even collegiate level. Their chemistry was also evident on and off the court.