Updates after press time:
Melrose defeats Wakefield 3-2 (April 11)
Melrose falls to Reading 3-2 (April 10)
Melrose falls to Winchester 5-0 (April 9)
Published April 11, 2025
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High girls tennis team has swung into their season with a bit of a challenge from Mother Nature.
But rest assured, 25 athletes are ready to go this season under the coaching of Lydia Mays who reports a talented group of underclassmen.
“We have a promising group of underclassmen this year, especially sophomores,” she says. “All 14 sophomores bring a lot of energy and potential to the team.”
Leading as captains this year are Mina Zheng and Natalia Menjivar.
Last season, Melrose made the playoffs after battling in a tough Division 2. This year, they’d like to repeat that.
“Last season showed us how important it is to stay focused under pressure,” says coach Mays. “So this season, we hope to focus more on the mental and strategic consistency, especially when it comes to closing out tight matches. It’s all about keeping a neutral mindset and getting one point at a time.”
While Mother Nature has dampened much of their spring kick off, Melrose did open with a loss to Belmont. They look to rebound against Wakefield, where they will travel to on Friday.
Expect to see singles play come in the form of Lucia Faulkenberry, Mary Atkinson, and Tess Isakson.
“They all played well in singles last season and we know they will build on their skills to become even stronger players,” says Mays.
Among those in doubles include their senior captains Mina Zheng and Natalia Menjivar. “They will be playing doubles together this year,” says their coach. “We have a lot of competition in the doubles department so there will probably be movement there this season.”
That includes doubles pair Lexi Miller and Meryl Stratford.
Around the league, look for competition to be tough. Notes Mays, “Teams in the Middlesex League are always good. I think the small division will be the strongest I’ve ever seen as a coach but I hope we can rise to the occasion.”