Yesterday afternoon, the girls’ tennis team entered familiar territory against a familiar foe as they competed in the PSAA Championship for the sixth straight year and for a fifth time against rival Portledge. In a 3-2 victory on the home Hollis Courts, the Bears won a fourth consecutive title, a fifth in six years, and improved their perfect record against the Panthers in championship matches to 5-0.

The Bears dropped the top two singles slots but took both doubles matches as Ali Cristobal and Sarah Arrieta (6-1, 6-0) and Ava Birgeles and Brianna Shinin (6-0, 6-0) dominated the Panther tandems to leave the match score level at 2-2 with one match to play.

The championship result would be decided by a freshman at no. 3 singles named Rania Lajmi. The first set was taut and went to a tiebreaker with the games deadlocked at 6-6. Lajmi won the tiebreaker, 7-4, to take the first set, then cruised in the second set, 6-2, to claim the victory for the Bears.

The win not only hung another banner for the girls’ tennis team–an 11th in the last six years between their regular and postseason crowns–but also gave senior Alanna Wu a victory in her final performance on the home hardcourt. Alanna has been a mainstay for the program, playing a key role in the last four championship seasons, and will surely be missed.

With the team season now over, individuals now await potential berths in the NYSAIS Singles and Doubles Tournaments set to begin next week.

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