It’s not often in high school tennis that an individual match, a team victory, and a League title all depend on a single strike of the ball. But that’s just how things stood at twilight October 17, when Molly Jordan got ready to serve in the super-tiebreaker of her No. 3 singles match at Byram Hills.
By Melanie Cane
It’s not often in high school tennis that an individual match, a team victory, and a League title all depend on a single strike of the ball. But that’s just how things stood at twilight October 17, when Molly Jordan got ready to serve in the super-tiebreaker of her No. 3 singles match at Byram Hills.
The score stood at one set apiece and 9-8 in Jordan’s favor when, with the whole team looking on, she hit a booming first serve to take the match, seal Rye’s 4-3 victory, and ensure an 8-1 Garnets record to edge Byram Hills and Horace Greeley for the Conference 3 League 1 championship.
It was a doubleheader win over Byram as Rye, up 3-2 in a previously suspended match, earned a walkover victory when a Byram player had to withdraw. In the scheduled match, three of Rye’s four wins came via super-tiebreakers. Emma Jennings and Olivia Singer, down 9-5 in second doubles, held off four match points to win, 6-3, 3-6, (11-9). At No. 2 singles, Ali Sims also battled her way to a tie-break win, 6-4, 3-6, (10-8).
The elated head coach, Tony Campbell, said, “It was really great stuff!”
The next day, Ali Sims faced the same opponent, this time in the Conference 3 tournament at Harrison High School. She defeated Byram’s Gabby Sirota for the third time this season, 6-4, 6-2. Casey Berger took the measure of Ossining’s Ruthie Jones, 6-0, 6-1. Rye’s doubles team of Singer and Jordan won 6-1, 6-4 and Pfister and Jhanke also won easily, 6-0, 6-1. Peroza-Jennings won their first match before falling 6-2, 6-2 to a pair from Greeley.
Weather postponed the tourney’s later rounds until Thursday, post-press time.
