After falling previously to Whitman, the RM girls tennis team lost again to their second Division I opponent, the Churchill Bulldogs, making their record 3-2. Although the Bulldogs have been known as contenders for the Division I title and as one of the best tennis teams in the state, they won by a surprisingly slight margin, giving hope to our Rockets that after this season, the girls will remain in Division I.

Each player fought bravely for the win. However, all the doubles fell through one after another, losing with grace and having no regrets. They did their best, but Churchill’s best was just better.

The most notable matches were those of the single players. Senior captain and second singles player Cynthia Song battled for each game as she won 6-1, 6-4 against her Bulldog opponent. Known as “The Nightmare,” Song kept hitting consistent lobs and the question of  “Who could hit 30 balls more?” was the key to the match. The answer was Song as she pulled through with a Division I win on her record. The same went for freshman and fourth singles player Piper Feldman as she won 6-4, 6-1.

After a remarkable tie breaker first set ending in 7-2, sophomore and first singles Ana Maria Escudero was running out of energy, hanging in there with her fellow Rockets’ cheers. The key winning factor here was that her Bulldog opponent was losing her steam faster than she was. Escudero still was able to hit winners and that was what made her opponent break. Escudero finally put an end to her misery, finishing the match with a score of 7-6 (7-2), 6-2.

Although the Rockets lost this match 4-3, they were still proud to have such a close match and a near upset with such a strong Division I opponent. But the Division I fight does not end here – on Monday, September 21, RM will host Division I Wootton Patriots at 3:45 p.m.