Sussex Academy girls look to serve up wins in ’24

As they continue to grow as a program, the girls of the Sussex Academy tennis team hope to elevate following a 9-3 season last year.

“A lot of these girls have been playing for years, and I want to make it my personal mission and goal as a high school coach to ramp up their game to the next level,” coach Rich Lichtenwalner said.

On a team featuring seven eighth-graders and seven returning players, the Seahawks have a mix of potential and established veterans. 

“I think it's gonna be a really good season for us,” sophomore Karina Lopez said. “We have a lot of strong players from last year, and we have a lot of new upcoming eighth-graders. I think it's looking like a bright future for us.”

Returning to the team are Sage Tunnell, Sienna Tunnell, Cate Reilly, Callie Juliano, Ana Nino, Lopez and Priya Haldar. Sage will form the first doubles alongside Juliano, while Lopez will compete in first singles. Sienna and Reilly will be the second and third singles, respectively. Nino and Haldar round things off as a duo in second doubles.

“I think our doubles is going to take a jump this year for sure,” Lopez said.

Lopez said she enjoys playing tennis because it’s an individual sport where a player has to problem solve on their own while also critiquing themselves to improve. She said the new facilities and her coach make it an enjoyable experience to play at Sussex Academy. Lopez and Lichtenwalner said the matches they are looking forward to most are Dover and Caesar Rodney. They see those as opportunities to improve.

“We’re going to take each day at a time, because every day there’s emotional battles, there’s physical battles, people are getting sick, and the weather can get cold,” Lichtenwalner said. “I just want everybody to get better every day and really love the sport.”

The Seahawks open the season battling the Worcester Prep Mallards at 4 p.m., Friday, March 22, in Berlin, Md.