Marvin Ridge MS girls tennis team completes successful season

WAXHAW, N.C. — I am excited to share with you a historically competitive team in the community. The Marvin Ridge Middle School Girls Tennis Team, one of only three middle school tennis programs in Union County sets the standard for competitiveness, perseverance, and teamwork on and off the court. Despite only four players returning for the 2022 season, this team’s drive and pursuit of victory did not falter. Whether competing in sweltering heat, warming up in the pouring rain, or battling through a match with a tropical strom approaching, MRMS could not be stopped. The elements didn’t faze the players, it only fueled them. Many team members describe battling the wind and rain as their favorite memory of the season. To give you an idea of these girls’ resiliency, eighth grader Cherrie Li says playing right as a tropical storm was moving in was her favorite memory from the season.

During the season MRMS played both Weddington and Cuthbertson twice in duals and twice in doubles round-robin events. MRMS Girls Tennis also played duals against six private schools in the Charlotte area to round out the 2022 schedule. The team’s final record on the season was 9-2.

The coaches’ (John Mader and Michelle Mader) goal was to build a team within an individual sport. The strategy for meeting this goal was built around three passions. The first is a passion for team. This means supporting your teammates on and off the court and is reflected in how the players support each other in practice and their pre-game rituals and never stop cheering for one another during matches. The second is a passion for improvement. Each member of the MRMS Girls Tennis Team was challenged to bring their absolute best to every practice, to make themselves and their teammates better. If each individual tennis player gets better, the team will get better. The third passion is a passion for competition. For MRMS, this means never giving up and always joyfully pursuing victory. Through this framework, every member of the team trained and developed into an unapologetically competitive tennis player.

The most exciting moment of the season happened in the team’s first dual against Weddington Middle School. In this dual match, the teams played six singles and three doubles matches, which are all worth a point. MRMS was losing 4-2 after singles and needed to win all three doubles matches to come back to win the match. Which, as you probably already guessed, they had the competitive spirit to meet this challenge. While MRMS won the first two doubles matches, the second-line doubles team faced a heated battle on the court. As the sun began to set MRMS won 9-7 to the sound of cheers from their team ringing in their ears.

There are no officially designated team captains on the MRMS Tennis team. Influencers, however, did emerge during the season. Many of the players led the team at different times in different ways. Some led the team in performance. Others led through friendship and supporting their teammates. Some led through downright grit, while others led through laughter. This is reflective of how the team and individuals developed on and off the court. They are not just developing into great tennis players, but great individuals.

Some of the team’s top performers during the season were Riona Ray, Brynn Bell, Clara Jamison, Zaara Mandavia, Amelia Mader, and Cherrie Li. These six players led the way during dual matches throughout the season and set the tone for the team. Riona Ray was the team’s rock on the number one line, winning all of her singles and doubles matches this season. Brynn Bell grew her confidence and skillset in every match. Although she often battled against older players, Clara Jamison always inspired the team with her toughness. Zaara Mandavia, Amelia Mader and Cherrie Li all performed very well down the line and were instrumental in winning matches all season long.

With only four players returning from the 2021 season, MRMS added eight new players in 2022. Tryouts were held during the last week of July, just five weeks before the start of the school year. These rigorous tryouts took place over a course of three days. More than 40 girls competed in matches in 90+ degree heat. The twelve girls that made the team had big shoes to fill to add to the program’s legacy. The 2022 MRMS Girls Tennis Team was Riona Ray (8th), Brynn Bell (7th), Clara Jamison (6th), Zaara Mandavia (8th), Amelia Mader (8th), Cherrie Li (8th), Emily Durham (7th), Lexie Lee (8th), Ashley Marshall (7th), Sanskruti Shah (7th), Sevda Naghian (8th) and Raquelle Laguerre (6th).

The harsh weather in July and August prepared the team to deal with adversity throughout the season. From dealing with the heat of summer to getting a thrill from competing as a hurricane is moving in or warming up in the rain, it is this type of grit that made MRMS one of the most competitive tennis teams in the area.

After each match, the player of the day was awarded and took home a Game Maverick (stuffed horse) instead of a game ball. This became a fun postgame ritual for the team and a way to honor a player’s or doubles team’s extraordinary effort. While team spirit offered a lot of fuel to the MRMS’s competitive nature, some days they needed a little something extra. In came the bananas. What started as means of acquiring some much-needed energy during matches on hot days, bananas took on a life of their own as a good luck charm.

Over the course of three months, the MRMS Tennis Team transformed from a lot of new faces into a tight-knit team. John and Michelle’s leadership is reflected in the team’s unconquerable character and selflessness. These girls are an inspiration to everyone in the community. As the returning players begin to prepare for the 2023 season next fall, we look forward to seeing the challenges, triumphs and the lasting relationships they will build. Their hard work, support for one another, and unrelenting drive remind us when the rain pours and the storms roll in, to keep playing and smiling through it all.

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