The Lakeland Regional High School girls varsity tennis team left their mark on the league during the 2024 season and had tons of fun doing it.

The girls tennis team had a very good year, with them going 8-6, placing 17th overall, and ranking third in their division. The girls team had an average Opponents’ Opponents’ Winning Percentage (OOWP) of 0.942, quality average of 3.000, and a residual average of 5.250, which are all competitive stats.

Led by head coach Mr. Joseph Cervino, who is also a physical education teacher at LRHS, the team was made up of senior Mia Conway, junior Emerson Conway, junior Katelyn Eviner, junior Emma Gabirel, junior Sofia Mason, junior Genevieve O’Connor, junior Julia Reeves, sophomore Lelia Kaba, and freshman Emira Kaba.

The Ledger wanted to know about the season overall, and Coach Cervino says, “[It was a] great season, with lots of team and individual success.” He shares that this season, the team focused on improving specific skills, such as serving, positioning, and net play.

Conway, who is also a captain, shares, “It was amazing! The best way to end my senior year!” Many other players share Conway’s sentiments that the season was a huge success and a ton of fun.

The team also reflected on the big things that led to their success this season. Conway says, “Learning how to maintain positivity and morale for the girls who can’t was the biggest takeaway.” Reeves discusses how hard work led to the team’s success, and Mason shares how learning to have a strong mental game, on top of her physical game, improved not only her play, but also her athleticism. O’Connor shares how the girls learned how to work well together, even in what can be an independent game.

On some of the best matches of the season, Coach Cervino says, “[My] favorite match was definitely our last match against West MIlford, where we avenged a loss from earlier in the season. Huge win for our program, with wins from Katie Eviner, Emma Gabrial, Mia Conway & Sofia Mason. Another great match was the first ever win versus Wayne Hills, which is a program defining win. The defeat of Wayne Hills couldn’t happen without individual wins from Katie, Emma & Leila Kaba.” Many of the players also mentioned the competitive game against West Milford, with Conway saying, “It was definitely difficult beating West Milly. We are neck and neck with them the entire time we play.” This shows that each individual game contributed to big wins overall for the team.

On her favorite match, Conway says, “My favorite game of the season was my senior night. My partner and I were losing by a set and a half, but came back and beat them in three tiebreakers. We played so late they had to put the floodlights on!” O’Connor and Mason both share that the game against Fair Lawn was a favorite as “we were losing 1-4 and we came back with seven straight games and won 8-4.”

Gabirel reflects on the team’s impressive showing at counties, saying, “My favorite game was definitely counties. Counties was an emotional roller coaster on and off the court, whether it was with my team or by myself, but in the end I had support from not only my team but a whole bunch of other teams in the county which was a surreal feeling.”

Although she is graduating this year, Conway has high hopes for next season, saying, “I think this team is going to thrive next season. They’re so talented and only getting better. If we had two county titles this year, and the team’s first win against Wayne Hills in school history, I can only imagine what they’re going to achieve next year.” Coach Cervino agrees, stating the team is going to be very competitive.

This season saw the team all lift one another up to the best of their abilities and reach past their limits during games and practice.