Senior captain Elaine Cho and sophomore Yasmin Lee won the Central Massachusetts doubles girls’ tennis championship title on Sunday, May 19 at St. John’s High School. Later in the day, freshman Olivia Almy claimed the Central Massachusetts individual girls’ tennis championship crown.

Cho and Lee beat sophomores Erin Shenk and Lama Chmaysem from Wachusett Regional High School, and Almy defeated sophomore Kirsten Hailey from AMSA.

All three were happy to win, and are determined to continue their success at the State Semifinal on June 15 at St. John’s.

Freshman Olivia Almy: Girls’ tennis Central Massachusetts singles champion 

How did you feel going into the tournament?

“I, of course, felt very nervous. I wanted to do well and hold my seeding which is a lot of pressure. You would think after years of competing I would be used to it, but I am not.”

What did you do to prepare?

“To prepare, I worked hard in practice and focused on the skills I knew I would need in order to do my best.”

How did you feel when you won?

“After I won, I felt happy and relieved the CMASS tournament was over. It was such a long build up with all the rain that finally finishing it felt great. I was proud of myself and really happy. It felt good to win it for Algonquin and add to the success we have had this season.”

Is it more nerve-racking when you are by yourself?

“Playing singles is super nerve-racking for me, which is why I prefer playing doubles more. Being alone means all the pressure is on me and if I lose there is no one else to blame.”

Since you’re so young, what do you hope to accomplish in the future for your tennis career?

“For my tennis in the future, I look forward to playing on the Algonquin team for all my high school years. After this I hope to go to a top D1 or D3 tennis school and play on the team. I have been playing and competing in tennis for years now so being a freshman was not the reason for my nerves. The CMASS tournament was very similar to the tournaments I play for USTA.”

Being a freshman, do you ever feel intimidated or nervous during matches like this?

“I wouldn’t say I felt intimidated because everyone I have played has been super nice and friendly but I of course have been nervous.”

Senior captain Elaine Cho: Co-Central Massachusetts girls’ tennis doubles champion

How did you feel going into the tournament?

“We felt pretty good going into the tournament. We had already played a majority of the teams in the bracket ,so we knew what to expect and adjusted our preparation accordingly.”

What did you do to prepare?

“During practice, we worked on different strategies which we were able to execute during our matches. We also spent time practicing the basics like volleys, ground strokes and serves to minimize our own errors.”

How did you feel when you won?

“It felt pretty awesome to win. Being a senior it was especially great because it’s something I’ve wanted to do for the past four years. It’s just satisfying to see all of our hard work pay off.”

What made you guys work so well together?

“Yasmin and I are good friends on and off the court which definitely helps our chemistry. We’re always talking in between points even if it’s about something random, which I think makes a big difference.”

What were some of your strategies?

“In the final match our opponents were very consistent so we had to play smarter by placing the balls in certain areas and being more aggressive at net.”

Is it less nerve-wracking when your competing with someone else?

“It is for sure less nerve-wracking when competing with someone else. When you’re playing alone it’s all on you and it can really mess with your mental game. Having a partner relives some of that stress because they’re always supporting you regardless of what happens.”

Sophomore Yasmin Lee: Co-Central Massachusetts girls’ tennis doubles champion 

How did you feel going into the tournament?

“I’d say we were pretty confident going in because we had already played all the people in it and we knew what to expect. We also had already beat the second seeded team so we felt pretty good about that.”

What did you do to prepare?

“Nothing really special. Just practice.”

How did you feel when you won?

“We’re really happy, but we want to win States a lot more.”

What made you guys work so well together?

“We’re pretty good friends so that helps a lot. Also, we have opposite styles of playing so it blends together well. We’ve known each other since last year and we also played volleyball together in the fall.”

What were some of your strategies?

“We don’t necessarily have specific strategies, but we do talk a lot more in big tournaments like this.”

Is it less nerve-wracking when your competing with someone else?

“Yeah, I like it a lot more when I play with someone else because then you have someone to talk to before you play.”