On a warm October day, there was an air of excitement and anticipation as the IAAM Varsity tennis team began their senior day.

This team was in the midst of a dominant season, with an undefeated record. But this day, they faced a tough opponent in Glenelg Country School. It was unclear whether players from the class of ’25 would celebrate the end of their high school tennis careers with a win.

Heartfelt speeches beforehand added to the emotion of the day.

“It was really emotional. I was really sad,” said junior captain Asha Chhetri. “I’m the only captain that’s gonna be left. So it’s just gonna be really sad for me. I wrote little things in the speeches. So when that came up, I was like: Now I’m crying.” 

Senior day is one of the most emotional and important events of an athlete’s career. For most, it is one of their last games playing a sport they’ve been playing a long time. It’s also great for the fans, parents, and coaches that have seen their evolution over the years.

Speeches were an emotional way to start the tennis senior day celebration. The supporters of the class of ‘25 players gathered around as coaches Hoa Cost (Coach Hoa), Bertin Karenzi (BK), and Rodney Ruley (Coach Ruley) read their heartfelt messages, then handed gifts of flowers and large signed tennis balls to the seniors standing with their families. This tearful and hug-filled scene showed fans how much this team cares for one another. 

“They’ve grown to be like family and I just really appreciate them. I’m just gonna miss the team more than playing tennis,” said senior and captain Isabelle Ruley.

One especially touching speech came from Coach Hoa. She spoke to Isabelle, who has not only been playing for four years, but is also one of her advisees. Coach Hoa said she’s going to miss Isabelle greatly, and she will always be there for her if she wants to call or talk.

After this, the team shifted to business as they started stretches and warmups led by energetic senior co-captains Chloe Lyons and Isabelle. As the team got hyped, fans saw the confidence and fun this undefeated team brings to their games. 

“[Chloe and Isabelle] really brought the fun to the game,” said Asha. “No matter what we’re doing, I was always excited to be with them.”

Asha stressed that not just the captains, but all of the seniors have lifted up the team and allowed the group to soar to new heights through their collective skill, positivity, and experience.

And Coach Hoa emphasized that, along with strong leadership, what has helped this team reach great heights is their work ethic.

“Practices are so much harder than any match that these girls have to play.
So on match day, it’s actually easier than any practice that they have to do,” she explained.

“We don’t train like a C conference team, that’s for sure,” continued Coach Hoa, who has since been named an IAAM 2024 coach of the year.

Cost said great conditioning has allowed the tennis team to dominate the end of games and easily close out their opponents.

So there were high expectations going into the team’s senior day match against Glenelg. They had previously beat this team in a 4-1 near sweep and were looking to do it again so that they could remain undefeated and keep their momentum rolling into the playoffs. With seniors Isa Wilkes and Rosa Mangels now taking the number three doubles slot, the team was confident that their streak would continue.

IAAM tennis is scored with winners taking the best of three sets. Each of these sets goes to six games, so players can win by two games, or after a tiebreak at 6-6.

The match started strong, with Vanya Gurachevsky ‘25 and Romy Clark ‘28 making quick work of their opponents. Their 6-0, 6-0 donut only took half an hour, leaving them the rest of the day to relax, cheer on their teammates, and enjoy the assortment of pink treats that were organized by the team. 

The rest of the team followed their lead, making quick work of most of their opponents. First it was the doubles team of Asha Chhetri ‘26 and Ella Palmer ‘25 who won 6-3, 6-3, then Isabelle Ruley cleaned up her opponent 8-6, 6-1. With victory already secured, Rosa and Isa similarly won their match handily, 6-1, 6-1.

Sadly Chloe Lyons ‘25 lost the final match of the day in a 6-7 (tiebreak), 6-4, (9-11) heartbreaker. With light and time running low by the end of her long match, the coaches decided to play a tiebreak to 10 rather than a final set.

With a final match score of 4-1, victory was assured for the undefeated Quakers. This team ended up running the table in the C conference, going undefeated for the rest of the season and winning the IAAM championship by a wide margin. Also, eight members of this team were recently given All-Conference honors – four of them seniors.