The air had a chill to it and, every so often, the wind would blow through on this April afternoon. It was definitely not a day for tennis, but nonetheless the King Philip girls team played host to Ashland in the Warriors home opener.
While the cool temperatures seemed to be affecting a lot of the spectators, who were bundled in blankets, the brisk afternoon did not seem to bother the players as KP walked off the courts with a convincing 5-0 win over the visiting Clockers.
"Having practiced mostly inside for the past few weeks, this was one of the first times that the weather allowed us to play outdoors,” KP Coach Bob Goldberg said. “It’s like night and day [inside to outside] hitting the ball. There is no wind or sun and the conditions are perfect, confidence changes and it’s going to take time to adjust.”
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Lauren Trudeau and Jill Proto, playing first and third singles respectively, needed the time to adjust, while Casey Burks did not.
“My first and third singles players took the time to adjust, they were both a bit apprehensive today,” the coach said. “Casey, on the other hand, was firing on all cylinders. I was very impressed with her performance, especially with her sweet spot hits.”
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Trudeau actually found herself trailing in the early going, but eventually bounced back with a 6-3, 6-0 sweep, while Burks took out her opponent 6-0, 6-0 and Proto won 6-1, 6-1. The double tandems of Alex Embree and Jill Beers (playing first doubles, 6-1, 6-1) and Kendra Primavera and Jenn Bullock (6-0, 6-0) provided the home opener sweep.
Last spring, KP had a doubles team that went to the finals of the individual tournament. Embree was part of that tandem, and Goldberg is hoping that she can have as much success with her new partner this year.
“Alex is an unbelievable tennis player,” Goldberg said. “And Jill, who could easily play singles, is in place to be successful; she just needs to work on her game consistency.”
King Philip is right back into action this afternoon, when then travel down 140 to Franklin.