Ahead of perhaps its biggest week of the season, the girls varsity tennis team faced off against Traverse City West in a marquee weekend matchup. The highly-touted Titans made the trip to FHC in an attempt to topple the Rangers; however, some phenomenal wins pulled the match closer and within reach. In the end, it was sophomore Brooke Kushak and senior Delaney Michalski that escaped with a massive doubles win to seal the eventual tie at 4-4.

In contrast to previous matches, freshman Lily Ohlman struggled in her position at first singles, similar to freshman Saniya Mishra. The two underclassmen could not rack up enough points to come out on top and FHC started in an early hole. However, the silver lining was the two remaining singles teams, with senior Emily Johnson’s convincing defeat of her opponent and sophomore Veronica Vincent’s nail-biting 6-3, 7-5 wins over TCW. The ability for any singles player to pick up the slack this season is arguably the team’s strongest suit.

With a split in the singles category, the doubles group saw some similar results. As the always-reliable team of freshman Lucy Wu and sophomore Ella Hunnewell triumphed over their opponent in two sets, the match of the day came from FHC’s first doubles squad. Scoring just two points in their first match, Brooke Kushak and Delaney Michalski seemed to unlock a new strain of competitiveness. The dynamic duo proceeded to flip the switch and defeat TCW’s first doubles team in dominating fashion. This ultimately led to the 4-4 tie, as the match presented some memorable moments and fantastic competition.

As the postseason draws closer, repetition can only help the girls. Having victory experience throughout the regular season can heavily contribute to success at the conference tournament.

“The more match-play that I have, the better I get,” Brooke said following her triumph. “I am becoming better every match to prepare for conference and to try and play at states.”

Unfortunately for FHC, it does not get any easier for the Lady Rangers. With a match slated for every single day this upcoming week, the time to lock in begins now. FHC hosts Byron Center on Monday, May 10th, and West Ottawa on Wednesday at 4:15 PM.  Traveling to Forest Hills Northern, the Rangers play a double dual with the rival Huskies and Petosky on Tuesday. To close out the week, the all-day conference tournament on Thursday, May 13th will tell the tale for the rest of FHC’s season.