The Chapel Hill High School’s women’s tennis team—competing for the first time in the DAC-VII 4A conference—finished with a 10-6 overall record, before bowing out in the second round of the regional tournament.
The Tigers’ reclassification as a 4A team meant the tennis team faced tougher competition than in years past, senior team captain Laura Cai said.
“[The season] definitely went better than expected, especially since 4A schools tend to be bigger and more intimidating,” Cai, who finished the season with an 8-7 individual record, said.
Despite the move, though, the Tigers went 4-2 in away matches, leading to a third-place conference finish behind East Chapel Hill High School and Jordan High School.
The team was coached by Neil Alderman, who was named the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s coach of the year for 2020-2021; Derren Lee served as the team’s assistant coach.
Cai said the highlight of her season was “making it to the second round of regionals,” but noted that her season was largely defined by the bonds and friendships she shared with her teammates.
“As the captain of the team, I have worked hard to build great relationships among the teammates since I know these team bonding moments are what makes the season the most enjoyable,” she said. “The team allows me to combine my love for tennis with meeting amazing peers. These girls are a special group of people, and I love them so much.”
Senior Carly Zhao, who posted a 12-12 individual record for the season, agreed with Cai.
“Overall, I think playing on the tennis team for the past four years has been really rewarding and fun,” Zhao said. “I’ve met some of the most amazing people through the team, have persisted through a lot of playing and just overall I feel as though I’ve grown a lot from playing tennis. I really wouldn’t change anything about playing on the team.”
