The boys’ and girls’ tennis teams faced off against St. John’s to decide who would receive the No. 1 seed for the Southwest Preparatory Conference tournament on April 23.
The Kinkaid boys’ and girls’ teams have both been undefeated throughout the season.
Last week, in an intense match against John Cooper, the girls clinched a 4-1 victory to put the team well into first place. Sophomore Jasmine Nguyen, line one single, was optimistic about the team’s performance in the SPC.
“I’m really proud of this team,” Nguyen said. “We’re undefeated and have a great shot at SPC.”
Similarly, the boy’s team beat John Cooper 4-1 after many intense close matches that ultimately put the team ahead. Sophomore Gus Pielop, who won line two doubles against John Cooper, was proud of Kinkaid’s performance.
“The team played great, and coaches were supportive, which helped us win,” Pielop said.
The girls defeated St. John’s 4-1, with the only loss being a default in line one singles. The girls recovered quickly and kept their undefeated record.
However, the boy’s match against St. John’s came down to the wire.
Junior Gabe Xu, line one singles, and senior Ammar Ali and Pielop, line one doubles, both won their matches first. Then, St. John’s clinched line two singles and doubles, resulting in a score of 2-2. The game came down to senior Drew Adler, the No. 3 singles player, to win it for the Falcons.
Adler pulled out and won the first set, and then, with the support of the team and Kinkaid fans, won the second set in a 6-2, 6-3 match.
The Falcons beat St. John’s 3-2 in an intense, thrilling matchup. The atmosphere was electric as the Falcons celebrated their hard-fought victory. Adler was proud of his achievement.
“At first, I was laser-focused, and once I realized how big the win was, I was excited,” Adler said. “I told everyone about it, which shows how important it was to me.”
The last match to ensure their seeds are on Friday, April 26, against Episcopal at 2 p.m. at Kinkaid. The Episcopal match is senior night.
