- Dan Fappiano
- 3 days ago
The Southington girls tennis team entered the season needing to replace half of the varsity roster that had just graduated. Head coach Robin Thompson also decided to make some changes to the lineup. So far, the Blue Knights have adapted well, beginning their 2026 campaign with a 3-1 record.
Thompson, who is now in her 16th year as head coach, admits that it was a challenge rebuilding the roster. The Blue Knights had to figure out what their best lineup would be. On the court, Southington’s newest varsity members had to learn quickly what competing at the highest level is like.
“We had some rebuilding to do,” Thompson said. “But we’re starting to come together and figure out the right lineup.”
“You’ve got opportunities for kids that weren’t playing to make the varsity lineup. Once they did that, it’s getting them accustomed to actually competing at a higher level,” she continued. “It was trying to put them into different situations to make them more competitive, to make the transition to competition easier.”
If everything comes together as planned, Thompson is hoping that Southington finds themselves in the Class LL Tournament once again while putting up a fight in the Central Connecticut Conference Tournament. She knows it will be a difficult task based on the level of competition across the state. Nonetheless, the Blue Knights will always strive to reach the greatest heights possible.
To accomplish their postseason goals, everyone on Southington must be united. Every varsity player must be ready when their name is called, as every match will be crucial.
“Sometimes we’re going to need winning matches from different people,” Thompson said. “Historically, we rely on all our doubles teams. I try to help all the singles players as much as possible to try and make them more successful, so there isn’t as much pressure on doubles to have to win match in and match out.”
Southington Begins 2026 Campaign
Southington opened their 2026 season with a CCC matchup against Avon, falling 5-2. Despite the loss, Thompson and the Blue Knights learned some valuable information about this year’s team.
“To start off the season with Avon is a tough ask,” Thompson said. “They’re a strong team. The good thing with the loss is it identified some things we needed to fix. We made a couple of lineup adjustments, and it has panned out over the last two matches. Tough to lose, but they’ve rebounded well.”
In their second match against RHAM, Southington’s No. 1 doubles team of senior Madalyn Zakrzewski and junior Allison Ludden fought off an 0-4 deficit in their second set and won six straight games to win the match 7-6(4), 6-4. It helped spearhead a Blue Knights’ 5-2 victory.
Game three saw Southington in a precarious position against Bristol Central. The No. 2 doubles team of senior Kathryn (Kei) Warner and junior Alexia Latham found themselves in a super tiebreaker as the overall match was on the line. With their backs against the wall, the Blue Knights duo didn’t flinch and won 6-2, 2-6, 10-7. Taking victory in that match was the deciding factor in Southington’s 4-3 win.
While the moment may have been nerve-wracking, the Blue Knights were well prepared for the super tiebreaker. Thompson has the team go through that exact scenario in practice. She knows the more reps they get, the more confident they’ll be during any tense moments.
“There are times in practice where we’ll actually put them in that situation,” Thompson said, “We try to recreate it, but nothing is like being in the actual moment. That’s about the best we can do.”
“The more the kids play, the more prepared they are,” she continued. “Inevitably throughout the season, they’re going to play one, two, maybe more tiebreakers. The anxiety of being in a tiebreaker goes away a little bit the more accustomed they are to realize this happens, they’re okay.”
Southington’s most recent match saw them earn a 6-1 victory over E.O. Smith. They’ll be away for their next two games against Berlin (April 20) and South Windsor (April 22) before returning home on April 23 to face Glastonbury.
As they compete in these matches, and throughout their season, Thompson has clear areas of growth she wants both the singles and doubles players to focus on. Southington must be strong in their fundamentals and strategic in their gameplay.
“It’s just more strategy. There’s a concept in tennis called constructing a point. Not just hitting the ball over,” Thompson said. “Tennis is a game of keep away. How do you do that? If you get an easy ball, hit in the corner, hit an angle. You’re forcing them to move around more than they’re forcing you to do that.”
“We’re working a lot on effective volleying at the net,” she said of the doubles teams. “Many times when you get a volley at the net, you can be the hero. You’ve got a great opportunity to put the ball away and win the point. We’re good, we’re hopefully working our way towards being great.”
New Captains Bring Plenty of Change
What would you do if your best friend and teammate had a bad attitude that was bringing down the rest of the team? That’s one of the many questions this year’s captains had to answer. Thompson has each prospective captain go through an interview, asking questions that show their leadership skills and looking for their ideas on what they would change about the team.
Once those interviews were completed, three juniors rose to the top. Ava Coppola, Alexia Latham and Allison Ludden were named the Blue Knights’ 2026 captains. Each came with plans for how they wanted to move Southington forward.
“They impressed me in their interviews about the new things they wanted to do for our team,” Thompson said. “How to ramp up our preseason fitness. We do footwork training; they wanted to meet with the guy who does the training and talk about things they thought would help improve it. They want to work out more than we have. They try to run more at practice.”
“Trying to mentor the younger players on the team,” she continued. “They remember being new to the team and just feeling a little awkward and not comfortable engaging with the older kid.”
Thompson also recognized senior Madalyn Zakrzewski, who has been the team’s top overall player the past three years. Entering her senior season, the head coach decided to move Zakrzewski from singles to the Blue Knights’ top doubles team, pairing with Ludden. While the move shocked many of Thompson’s coaching friends, it has paid off as the pairing remains undefeated through their four matches. The No. 2 doubles team of Latham and Kei Warner are also undefeated on the year.
Zakrzewski’s move put Coppola into the top singles role. Junior Teagan Murphy is in the No. 2 spot. Both players will consistently be facing the opposing team’s top options, making each match extremely difficult. However, their placement at the top of the lineup is strategic.
While tennis is an individual sport, Southington knows that to be their best, they must compete as a unit. Whatever their role may be, the Blue Knights must perform in it to their fullest.
“All of our varsity players are good. Everybody’s role is important,” Thompson said. “By the end of the year, I’m hoping they see the improvements they need to make. Because they’re filling those roles, it allows us to be competitive in the other five matches that are playing.”
The 2026 Southington girls tennis varsity roster features seniors: Mikayla Baum, Kathryn Warner and Madalyn Zakrzewski; juniors: Ava Coppola, Jenna Giuffrida, Elizabeth Johnson, Daria Kryzanski, Alexia Latham, Allison Ludden, Teagan Murphy and Makenzie Zimmer; and sophomores: Mya McDonald and Colleen Perez. Thompson is joined by assistant coaches Kate Hardy and Katie Rioux.
Blue Knights Ready For Coming Contests
The Blue Knights’ ability to be selfless and put the team first is a mantra that has been preached by both Thompson and athletic director Bob McKee. It’s a mentality that Southington will use to lead them through the 2026 season and beyond.
“It’s ‘we’ over ‘me’,” Thompson said. “You can say what you’d prefer to play, singles or doubles. But it’s actually what’s best for the team.”
This year’s junior class is well aware of the expectations surrounding the Southington girls tennis program. They helped lay the foundation. As Thompson looks at this year’s team, she can’t help but notice the core that has been growing since their freshman season. She even sees a bit of that same spark in this year’s freshman class.
“We have a very large junior class. They have been a strong, deep class almost since their freshman year,” Thompson said. “Some took a little longer, but they’re all there. It goes in cycles, it’s a little thin for a couple of years. But when these kids were freshman, it was one of those classes you get every so often. There was more talent, more commitment. This year’s freshman class I’m hoping will be the same way.”
The Blue Knights are now prepared to put in the work and march towards their postseason goals. But when they’re on the court, Thompson also wants them to enjoy the experience. She fully believes tennis is, “the sport of a lifetime.” After honing their skills with Southington, Thompson is hopeful no one on the squad puts down a racket anytime soon.
“Tennis teaches you a lot of things,” Thompson said. “Some of our older kids have become best friends with another teammate. They learn a lot of life skills. If they like it or love it, they can play from now until they’re older like me.”
