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Cayla Gaffney ’29

Doubles partners Ted Dudley (12) and Eddie Gebhart (12) shake hands with their Springfield opponents after a home match on April 20. The partners won their match 6-4 in the first set and 6-0 in the second.

As the sun was setting and a light breeze was blowing over the Haven campus, the tennis courts were alive with action as the boys varsity tennis team defeated Springfield 7-0 on April 20. 

At this point later in the season, players emphasize the importance of full recovery after the many frequent matches. 

“I think people don’t quite get how much playing a lot of tennis actually wears on your body,” senior Mark Ball said. “I usually get pretty sore just from accumulation of the wear and tear of playing a bunch of matches, because it’s [a] pretty short season and a lot of matches in a pretty tight time frame.”

While the varsity team won all of their matches, consistency, finishing off the point better, and tweaking specific shots were among the different parts of the game that Haven players said they could work on.

“The thing about tennis is, there’s always somebody better than you and you can always work to improve,” head coach Andy Perella said. “You do that by doing lessons and things like that, but also just [by] playing tennis with your friends…there’s always room to improve in tennis.”

Outside of Haven tennis, players dedicate time to practicing on their own to focus on specific skills or to continue playing during the off-season.

“I have a coach I go to on the weekends, and then it’s really up to me to figure out my own workout schedule. And then, just [finding] hitting time outside of school,” junior Emmett Corbett said.

Even with balancing club teams and private lessons, players can find friends sharing a common goal on the Haven tennis team — to get better and have fun. This passion pushes the players to work hard and improve together through practices and matches.

“I think one of the hard things that [you] can do in tennis, because it’s an individual sport, is to support your teammates and pay attention and watch,” Perella said. “And I think that’s always a good thing that our kids do really well.”

Not only does the coach recognize the community atmosphere, but players notice the positive team vibe as well. Haven won this match overall because of the cumulative victories from each of the doubles and singles matches.

“I really like the team. I like the environment. We’re always in supporting each other, and we’re all friends on court and off court,” Corbett said.

The team has a match on April 27 against Lower Merion High School and on April 29 against Upper Darby before their regular season concludes. Players are already looking forward to next spring. 

“If you know anyone who plays tennis seriously, please tell them to join the team next year,” Ball said.