It’s been a tough start to the season for the Westport girls tennis team, who lost a close 3-2 match to Durfee on Monday for their seventh loss in a row. The team is currently 1-7. Their lone victory  was a  3-2 win at Case on April 5.

“The record is not indicative of the talent on the team,” said head coach Matt Kampper. “The girls have put in a lot of work and effort this season.”

The Wildcats have also experienced growing pains with a very young team this season. Senior co-captain Kaelyn Jones, the Wildcats’ first singles player, is one of three seniors on the team. The rest are underclassmen. Jones, who has been playing tennis since seventh grade has a record of 3-3. She took over the one spot during her freshman season and is still a strong player for Coach Kampper.

Sophomore Taliyah Raiche is having a difficult time with her competition at second singles with a record of 1-7. She has been playing tennis since eighth grade and has shown much promise. 

“She is an extremely talented young player with a lot of power,” Coach Kampper said. “She will be a force to be reckoned with the next few years.”

Doubles player Abby Forbes, a sophomore, has stepped up this spring to play third singles and currently has a record of 2-5. She also has been playing tennis since eighth grade for Coach Kampper and is improving every match. 

The first doubles team features seniors Avery Carvalho and Madison Plourde. Carvalho is a co-captain and an experienced doubles player. Plourde has been playing tennis since sophomore year. 

“Avery has been a staple on our doubles teams,” Coach Kampper said. “Madison has bounced back and forth between singles and doubles.”

The Wildcats’ get younger at second doubles. The most consistent duo has been eighth grader Ella Baldwin and sophomore Gabby Juristo. The duo of Maddy Melnyk and Sam Barboza, both eighth graders, have also been getting time  as Coach Kampper begins to get the younger players some experience for next season. A group of freshmen also joined the team this season. Coach Kampper is doing his best to whip them into shape for next season.

“They are all developing nicely,” he said.