NPHS Girls’ Tennis Breaks Longstanding DII Record
Cristina Alcala, a third doubles player on the NPHS girls’ tennis team, serves a tennis ball in a match against Chariho on September 27 at Stephen Olney Park. Her partner, Gabby Fiore, stands at the net.
October 5, 2021
The girls’ tennis team at NPHS netted an astounding new triumph on Thursday, September 30—they achieved their sixth win of the season, which is the highest number of victories in Division II that the Lady Cougars have ever accomplished in their previous eight years in DII.
And the season is only half over.
In preceding years, the Cougars have played in DIII the most, with their DII years averaging three and a half wins per season with a high of five.
The team currently stands at 6-2, with their losses coming from Prout School and Classical High School. Their most recent match against Cranston East, which was 6-1, saw swift two-set victories from Stephanie Jordan at second singles (6-0, 6-2), Paula Zhuang at third (6-1, 6-0), and Alena Rizzo at fourth (6-1, 6-0). Doubles battles transpired in a similar manner, with triumphs from the teams of Graycen Pappas and Isabella Cardarelli (6-0, 6-1), Maria Fontaine and Eva St-Germain (6-0, 6-1), and Cristina Alcala and Juliana Hoyt (6-0, 6-0).
To make it to the playoffs, the Cougars need to win three more matches this season. On Tuesday, October 5, they are slated to play Lincoln at Lincoln High School, and their next matches will be against Middletown High School, South Kingstown High School, and Mt. Hope High School.
Head coach Jerry Rubino is confident in his players’ abilities and in the team’s shot at the playoffs. In fact, he reached his 300th win of his career as a girls’ tennis coach on September 21st in the Cougars’ match 6-1 victory over Westerly, a significant milestone that is well deserved.
This season, the girls’ tennis accomplishments have already smashed records—and the rest of the month looks bright.