Southington Girls Golf Begins Inaugural Varsity Campaign

SHS Girls Golf after the team's first win SHS BLUE KNIGHTS GOLF INSTAGRAM

At the beginning of their inaugural varsity season, the Southington girls golf team was struggling, dropping their first two matches. Head coach James McAloon then had a talk with the new squad to remind them how far they had already come.

“I think in the first two matches we pressed a little bit,” McAloon said. “The girls really wanted to win. That’s understandable. We had to have a conversation about, ‘you’re good enough, the wins will come.’ Just focus on the process of getting better, hitting one shot at a time, staying in the moment.”

In their third match, Southington took on Northwest Catholic at their home course, Hawk's Landing. With a final team score of 178, the Blue Knights won their first varsity match, and with that achieved the first victory in program history. McAloon said that everything clicked that day and the win won’t be forgotten any time soon.

“When the match finally finished and we realized we had our first program victory, you could see the excitement on the girls’ faces,” McAloon said. “I was very proud as a coach. Very proud that they got to experience that and be a part of it. Take a picture with each other and celebrate the victory. It was a great day.”

Junior Allison Zajac led the way with a low score of 40. Junior Lilly Steindl was right behind her with a 44, while junior Chandra Vasamsetti and senior Emerson Fortin shot a 46 and 48 respectively.

As the Blue Knights continue their inaugural varsity season, McAloon wants them to focus on the three pillars of the program, “Three Cs” that will form the foundation of Southington girls golf.

“Our focus as a program, our standards, are commitment, competitive character and coachability,” McAloon said. “The coachability part has been awesome with these girls. They soak up everything that we give them. They are sponges for information. This is still new to a lot of them. But they have taken it and really committed themselves. The competitive character shows up every day on the course.”

Blue Knights’ Start To First Varsity Season

Southington’s first match as a varsity program came against Berlin at Timberlin Golf Club. While the Blue Knights were defeated, McAloon noted that it was a great experience for the team, since the Central Connecticut Conference and State Tournament are played at Timberlin. Furthermore, Southington began their journey against one of the better teams in the state.

They then took on Plainville, who shares Hawk's Landing as a home course. Southington came up just four strokes shy of victory. But after their win against Northwest Catholic, the Blue Knights rallied for two more wins against Lewis Mills and New Britain.

At the time of McAloon’s interview with the Outsider, Southington was 3-4 overall. They lost their seventh match of the season to Cheshire. However, McAloon called it a strong learning experience, since it gave them an opportunity to play at the Southington Country Club.

Course management will be key for the girls team this season and in years to come. Not every match will be held at Hawk's Landing. As they continue to play different venues and revisit the same obstacles, the Blue Knights will become more comfortable with each course’s challenges.

“We’ve got to get a little better with course management,” McAloon said. “That’s something that takes some time and experience as a team. Knowing when to take your chances and when to take your medicine and set up the next best shot. It’s something we’ve been practicing and focusing on. The girls understand the importance of it. Every shot can have an impact on a team’s score.”

McAloon has seen Southington’s practice habits translate into success at their matches. Their competitive drive has been unmistakable. While they may be a first-year program, this year’s Blue Knights are already proving why they belong.

“Having three wins at this point of the season is a great accomplishment for a first-year program,” McAloon said. “I know a lot of the state and the CCC might’ve expected less from us. They might have thought, ‘They’re a start up program, how well can they actually do?’”

“In our girls’ minds, they believe they belong here,” he continued. “They expected success. They’re going to keep pushing that way. We’ve got the State Tournament within our sights. It’s nice to pinch yourself and realize that you’re there for the first varsity season ever. But these girls aren’t settling for the warm, fuzzy story. They want to win. They want to compete for their school and show that Southington girls golf is the real deal.”

Building The Team

After getting officially approved by the CIAC to become a varsity sport, McAloon and the coaching staff began working towards building their first roster. Along with their work on the links, the coaches wanted golfers who were truly committed to the program. Once tryouts concluded, ten athletes became the first varsity members of Southington girls golf. 

“We had a competitive week of evaluations in terms of determining the roster. We had a lot of girls express interest throughout the year. This year we’re looking for commitment,” McAloon said. “It’s no longer a club. The ten girls we ended up with are really dedicated and committed to the program and have been with us the last two months. They’ve been showing up every day and putting in the work that is required to be a varsity program.”

Before the season even began, many of the Blue Knights were preparing for the upcoming campaign. Happy’s Indoor Golf on 22 Center Street gave the team an opportunity to work on their game during the offseason by letting them play on different courses across the state in a virtual environment.

When practices began at Hawk's Landing, securing a home course advantage became priority number one. McAloon wanted his team to understand everything they could about the place where they will play the most, since opposing teams won’t know as much about the greens or fairways.

McAloon also brought over a tradition from the boys team, introducing a year-round Solheim Cup challenge. The Blue Knights are split into two sides and will compete all season for glory and bragging rights. While they may be playing against their teammates, McAloon believes the Solheim Cup will prepare each golfer for the tensest moments on the links.

“The girls use that as another way of competing,” McAloon said. “They’re competing with their teammates, but there’s going to be a winner and a loser. It allows them to have that feeling of pressure, to prepare for when the match matters.”

Competing at the Solheim Cup last week

For the coaching staff, the team will have succeeded if they follow through on their commitment, competitive character and coachability. The players, however, have their eyes set on finishing as high as they can in the CCC as well as the State Tournament.

They understand that they won’t achieve those goals without hard work. McAloon has noticed that the players come to practice before the coaches, chipping and putting as they wait. They’re playing the sport on their own, beyond practice and game days. The coaching staff wanted commitment, and they found exactly that in the 2026 roster.

“The commitment and dedication to getting better and making sure we’re prepared for the first varsity season ever was evident prior to March when we first had tryouts,” McAloon said. “From there, the girls have been showing up every day. They’re not just standing around hoping to get better. They’re putting in the work and committing to the process.”

Southington’s First Roster

Senior Emerson Fortin was one of the golfers preparing at Happy’s before March came. Once Southington’s official roster was constructed, it was clear that she was a leader of the program. It was an easy decision for McAloon and company to name her the first captain in program history.

“Very well respected in our school. Very well respected amongst her teammates and definitely respected by her coaches,” McAloon said. “We appreciate her leadership and what she offers to our program. Couldn’t be happier with her as our first captain in program history. She has done everything to help lead these girls and be a secondary voice for the coaches to relay information and keep everyone on the right track.”

Joining Fortin in early preparations was junior Lilly Steindl. McAloon said she has put in more work than anyone on the team, training in the fall, working with swing coaches and competing in the winter league. Now Steindl has become the team’s No. 1 golfer and an example of what Southington girls golf success could look like.

“She is proof that the work you put in will pay off in the long run,” McAloon said. “It has clicked for her this year, I couldn't be happier. She shows up every day ready to learn, ready to get better. We’ve seen it in her performance.”

The head coach was also quick to point out junior Allison Zajac, whose sister Brooke played for Southington’s boys team. With “golf in her bloodline,” McAloon believes the junior comes with plenty of potential.

The same is true of sophomore Zoey DellaVecchia, who shot a 43 to help Southington defeat New Britain. A former softball player, McAloon calls her the “future of the program,” and expects her to continue making varsity contributions.

For the ten members of this year’s team, the realization that they’re making history still hasn’t settled in; or at least they haven’t expressed it. The Blue Knights are too locked in at improving at every opportunity. When they look back at this season, however, McAloon hopes that this year’s roster realizes what they have done.

“I don’t think they think about it too much,” McAloon said. “They have gotten really good at being in the moment. We talk about staying in the present, one shot, one hole at a time. It may be many years down the road, but I hope at some point they realize how special this is. They’re having fun competing, being a team and doing team bondings. They are just locked in on the moment of the season, which is refreshing for me as a coach.”

The 2026 Southington girls golf roster features seniors Alexa Weidl, Emerson Fortin and Maya Dura, juniors Allison Zajac, Chandra Vasamsetti, Juliana Grzeszczak, Lilly Steindl, Lily Coleman and Oksana Lysak, and sophomore Zoey DellaVechhia. McAloon is joined by assistant coach Dave Yanosy, as well as Kathleen Reynolds and Colleen Murphy, who helped build the program and have been constant supporters.

 

Southington Girls Golf Continues To Grow

At the time of McAloon’s interview, Southington ranked 14th in their division. They need to finish top 16 to qualify for the State Tournament. That will be the team’s goal each year.

But as the Southington girls golf team progress through their inaugural season, McAloon looks at the bigger picture. This team was once nothing more than an idea. Now, the Blue Knights are recognized by the school and the community at large.

“It’s really special. There’s nothing better than when, on the morning announcements, you hear that the Southington girls golf team won their match yesterday. Especially that first win ever,” McAloon said. “A lot of the teachers, students are coming up to you and saying how cool it is and how they’re rooting for your program. Last year it was kind of an idea, we didn’t know if it could come to fruition. Seeing it now is incredible, I’m really proud of the coaches, golfers and parents that have gotten us to this point. It’s really special.”

Moving forward, McAloon wants to see girls golf grow and become more popular. The team is working with Hawk's Landing to introduce more middle schoolers into the game, and the coach eventually wants elementary school parents and students involved.

After so much effort and preparation, Southington girls golf has made its official arrival. The Blue Knights are now ready to leave their mark on the links.

“I would like to see it keep growing. We need to get the youth involved in the town. Girls golf is here in Southington, and we’re here to stay,” McAloon said. “It’s a great sport for your kid to get into and can lead to many opportunities. Most importantly, a lifelong activity they can do with family members and friends. We’ve got to keep growing the game in town. We want to keep this momentum moving. The sky is the limit for girls golf in Southington.”

Southington Boys Volleyball Build Towards Second Half Breakout

The Southington High School Boys Volleyball team MAX PREPS PHOTO, COURTESY OF LOU GIANACOPOULOS

For Southington High School boys volleyball head coach Lou Gianacopoulos, the key to success is managing the big and little rocks. The big rocks are your long-term overarching goals. The little rocks are the steps it takes to get there. Early in the season, the Blue Knights are focused on the latter.

Gianacopoulos knows he’ll have to be patient and that Southington’s growth will be a process. But if this year’s team can master their fundamentals - little rocks - success will follow.

“There are small rocks and there are big rocks,” Gianacopoulos said. “Big rocks are your season focal points of we’d really love to make the playoffs. These guys have to focus on so many small rocks right now that I don’t want them to get clouded with the big rocks.”

“Their small rocks are learning how to pass, arm swings for those guys that are big up at the net. Every day we focus on all those little rocks,” he continued. “I’m hoping by midseason, we can start peaking at the big rocks. Looking forward to something. Right now, it’s all about the small rocks.”

As the Blue Knights entered their regular season, Gianacopoulos was prepared to learn a lot about this year’s team. At the same time, he was planning to watch the seeds being planted for a strong Southington campaign.

“The beginning of the season is going to be our learning curve for a lot of these guys,” Gianacopoulos said. “But I am very optimistic for the second half of the season and into the playoffs. Because these guys will be developing.”

Southington’s 2026 Season Begins

Southington opened their year with a 3-0 victory over Platt, 25-13, 25-14, 25-20. But after that the Blue Knights had many of their athletes away on class trips. The boys volleyball roster featured just seven available players for their next two games.

Southington fell to Farmington 3-0, 25-11, 25-12, 25-13 and Enfield 3-0, 25-15, 25-21, 25-21. With their lack of depth – there are six players on the court at a time – the Blue Knights couldn’t play their desired brand of volleyball. 

“I’m sure it was fun for the seven that were there. Because they’re like ‘I’m playing this. Whatever we do we do,’” Gianacopoulos said. “We just fell a little bit short because we didn’t have the ability to control the ball.”

Once the players returned from their school trips, Southington split their next two games. They lost to Maloney 3-1, 23-25, 25-22, 24-26, 9-25 before defeating Xavier 3-0 and falling to Hall 3-0. Now 2-4 on the season, the Blue Knights will next face Windsor (April 22) at home before traveling to face New Britain (April 24).

Southington will be looking to improve their volleyball skills every game they play. But Gianacopoulos is looking for this year’s squad to grow mentally as well.

“We’ve got to develop our chemistry,” Gianacopoulos said. “The skill will come once the chemistry is there.”

Blue Knights Build Through Basketball Players

Gianacopoulos had a smaller returning group than usual for the 2026 season with only three seniors back. He also saw an increase in the number of basketball players joining the team. For all their athleticism, the head coach knew getting this team where they needed to be was going to take maximum effort from all parties. 

“You have to be very patient,” Gianacopoulos said. “These guys who come in as juniors only have the option to make the varsity team. They can’t develop at the JV level. You’ve got to change your coaching philosophy and plans for the season based upon your athletes. With these athletes, they need a lot of one-on-one training and going through the simple aspects of the skills as opposed to jumping right in and being dominant.”

Junior James Percival helped lead the charge for basketball players joining the volleyball team. After playing the previous season, and seeing how much the sport helped his vertical and dunking ability, he was keen to keep playing volleyball. He wasn’t alone in that pursuit.

Sophomore Ben Richards was on the team with Percival a year prior while juniors Mason Lombardo and Lukas Narbutaitis are new additions. Gianacopoulos is expecting all of the basketball players to make an impact.

“The basketball boys have a very strong mindset. It’s different than your typical boys volleyball mindset,” Gianacopoulos said. “They’re used to being constantly drilled and being told what they’re doing wrong. We’ll find out whether I need to incorporate more of their strong mindset coaching or positive reinforcement. I’m learning with the new guys too.”

Alongside the basketball transplants, Gianacopoulos is expecting senior outside hitter Jeremy Parent and junior libero O’Connor Furey to play pivotal roles for the Blue Knights, as will junior setter Brian Bordiere. After their starting setter transferred to Maloney, Southington turned to Bordiere. While he was thrown in the fire, Gianacopoulos believes he is ready. The Blue Knights are counting on him to be just that.

“That was a big hurdle for us,” the head coach said of losing their starting setter. “You take a quarterback off of a football team and have to learn timing and offense and defense, we had to start over. So we started all over last year. This year we’re pretty confident. We feel we had our next setter in line. You don’t have that developing year, you’re going to jump right in. Everyone has to learn his style, timing and tempo.”

Gianacopoulos has yet to name captains for the 2026 season. He wanted everyone to be together as a team first since the first week came with multiple absences. Furthermore, he wants to make the right decision, with numerous players capable of leading. Once that decision is made, Gianacopoulos is hoping those captains can develop what he would like to be a stout defense.

“We’ve got some big guys who can hit the ball high,” Gianacopoulos said. “With boys volleyball, you’re never lacking the will to hit the ball. That’s what boys really want to do. I don’t have to teach that. What will be a highlight this season is if I can get the boys to buy into defense. A great defense builds on a stronger offense. Our goals are going to be having a more defensive mindset than offensive mindset.”

The 2026 Southington High School boys volleyball roster features seniors: Evan Lebo, Jeremy Parent and Garrett Thompson; juniors: O’Connor Furey, James Percival, Brian Bordiere, Mason Lombardo, Lukas Narbutaitis, Teo Jacome and Chase Smyecko; alongside sophomores: Hunter Strileckis, Carter Smith and Ben Richards. Gianacopoulos is joined by assistant coaches Timothy Casey and Adam Hunter.

Bracing For a Second Half Breakout

Early in the season, the Blue Knights are still setting the foundation of their 2026 campaign. The focus remains on simply learning everything about the sport of volleyball that they can. After each practice and game, Gianacopoulos is hopeful to see his team’s confidence level rise as well.

“First, they’re focusing so much on the skill. They’re learning, they’ve never played this before,” Gianacopoulos said. “Any elite athlete who has been playing basketball or baseball or any of the major sports their entire lives, when they come to this sport, their interest gets triggered. They really feel like they’re learning and they’re starting over. They know they’re struggling, but they’re elite enough to understand that once they get through the process, they’re going to be able to produce and participate when the postseason comes.”

“Right now, we’re just waiting for these new guys to feel the confidence going into the second half of the season,” he continued. “They won’t have it now, because they’re just so behind. But they’re growing and learning each day.”

He acknowledges that there are going to be hurdles along the way. Southington plays in the vaunted Central Connecticut Conference. Furthermore, many athletes aren’t competing year round like some of their competitors.

But Gianacopoulos, and the Blue Knights, are used to that hardship. He says that his teams always find themselves in a tricky situation at some point throughout the season. To get out of their predicament, Southington must be prepared to outwork any opponent in front of them.

“I’m always the team that’s going to struggle,” Gianacopoulos said, “whether I have the best players in the world or not. It’s hard for me to say we’re going to dominate on offense or defense. We’ve got to work harder, we’re not as good as everyone else. The kids know they have to work harder and harder.”

For this year’s team and the Blue Knights of the future, the head coach doesn’t want that hard work to be a deterrent. Especially at the beginning, everyone is on the same level when it comes to their volleyball skill. Trying something new can be an intimidating task. The Southington High School boys volleyball team is trying to prove why it’s worth a shot.

“We’re unlike anything else in this school,” the head coach said. “You should expect to be excited about learning something new. As a freshman, you should know that no one else has any experience playing the sport of volleyball in high school. Don’t be intimidated in regards to not knowing anything – everything is coached and taught. Don’t deter yourself from trying out because you think you may not know the sport or haven’t tried the sport before.”

Selflessness, Grit Define Southington Girls Tennis in 2026 Campaign

Senior Madalyn Zakrzewski PHOTO COURTESY OF MAREK ZARKZEWSKI

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.

Junior Elizabeth Johnson PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN JOHNSON

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.”