Seniors Andrew Deppen and Will Hall played 1st Doubles on the Boys’ Tennis Team and had a record of 8-3 in the regular season.
“Two of the big matches that we won to qualify for the District Tournament were Garnet Valley and Radnor,” Hall said. “We lost to them in the regular season. Not only did we get our revenge and redemption, but we got to go to the District Tournament.”
As stated by an official record of the Central League Tournament, Hall and Deppen played Haverford in the first round of the Central League Doubles Tournament and won 6-2, 6-1. In the second round, they played Garnet Valley and won 6-4, 6-3, who according to Deppen, lost to in the regular season.
“It gave us more motivation to win and made us feel like we were playing for something,” Deppen said.
In the next round, Hall and Deppen played the first-seeded Conestoga team and lost 3-6, 2-6. After this, they were put in the back draw and played Radnor’s first and third singles players playing doubles and lost to them.
“We weren’t locked in in that match,” Hall said. “Then, we locked in and played Radnor’s first doubles team, who we also lost to in the regular season, and beat them 6-6 (9-7) in a tiebreak and then 6-2 in the second set.”
As attested by Hall, winning that match qualified them as the sixth seed in the Central League Doubles Tournament and qualified them for the District Doubles Tournament. As stated by an official record of the PIAA District One Doubles Tournament, Deppen and Hall played Chichester in their first match and beat them 6-1, 6-1.
“And then we were unlucky enough to play the Conestoga one seed, which we then lost to very heavily and that doubles team went on to win Districts,” Deppen said.
According to Andrew Perella, the varsity coach of the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams, Hall and Deppen have a unique situation because they have played doubles together for three years.
“They were really able to get to know each other as players and communicate without words on the tennis court, knowing where the other one was,” Perella said.
Perella stated that playing over 30 matches together has helped them succeed.
“Learning the skills is important but putting them to use under pressure is what builds great doubles teams and great players in any sport,” Perella said. “Not just in practice can you do it, where if you miss, it doesn’t matter. It’s in the match where it does, and that only comes from matchplay.”
Hall and Deppen have played tennis together since third grade.
“Coming back to tennis every tennis season and being able to find the success that we have comes down to our great coaching but also my strong connection and chemistry with Andrew on the tennis court,” Hall said.
