The number five seeded Verona High School boys tennis team played their states semifinals match yesterday against New Providence High School. Unfortunately, the number one seed was too powerful for the Verona boys, as they struggled with their consistency to pull off an upset. The final score was 5-0 New Providence.
Andrew Siegelin was the last overall to finish, battling to get a number on the scoreboard for his team during the second set but was unsuccessful, losing 1-6, 3-6.
Second Doubles Max Batson and Brian Feury also attempted to be aggressive by putting away volleys and staying patient but New Providence proved to be the dominant team, as Verona lost 4-6, 4-6.
Jonathan Thai, the head coach, remained supportive throughout the matches and provided valuable advice to the players to try to get them to stay in the game. He said playing Caldwell, the number four seed, in the states quarterfinals was a good “tune up” to prepare for the match yesterday but added that his players didn’t get off to a good start which led to footwork and other technical errors that contributed to the loss. Verona beat Caldwell 4-1 on Tuesday.
The boys season is not over yet, as they will play Caldwell on Monday to compete for the division title. Coach Thai says “we’re are not just playing for a state title, we’re playing for a county divisional title so there’s still a lot on the line,” to keep his team’s spirits up.
