By JOSH BURRIS
The Norwell Lady Knights brought a lot of new faces to the tennis courts last season, but maintained the program’s winning ways.
After a cancelled 2020 season, the Knights brought back just one returning varsity player from their 2019 sectional championship team in 2021. Despite the inexperience, the team finished with a 15-4 overall record, won the NE8 Conference with a 7-0 record, and ended the year as a sectional runner-up.
Coach Holly Kimball said she was not sure what to expect from the season, but knew there was talent in her varsity lineup.
“It was hard to anticipate a season since we didn’t have a season the year before. None of us knew what we were going to go up against,” Kimball said. “I knew my new girls were very athletic and we certainly had a chance to fight for the sectional title. But to get second with such a young team, I can’t say it was expected but it was amazing.”
The Knights return five of their seven varsity players from last season.
Senior Aubreyan Heyerly and junior McKenna McNabb will bump up to No. 1 and 2 singles after playing No. 2 and 3 singles respectively last year. Sophomore Addy Heyerly will move up to No. 3 singles after playing on No. 2 doubles last year.
In doubles, senior Mackinzie Toliver will play No. 1 doubles once again with a new partner in sophomore Annabelle Johnson, who played No. 2 doubles last year.
No. 2 doubles will feature two newcomers with sophomore Jordan Xayyachack and junior Sofia Fernandez.
Norwell has been the champion of a challenging NE8 Conference the last three tennis seasons, and Kimball said they are looking forward to more tough competition once again, noting Leo and East Noble are two teams that will be tough to beat.
“The NE8 is always fun to play against because there are so many teams that are really close together. We’ve been fortunate for the last I think three years that we’ve played to win the NE8,” Kimball said. “That’s a little bit unexpected just because we are all so even. It’s not like Norwell has just dominated. So definitely looking forward to some of those matches again.”
Kimball said making it back to the sectional championship match is a goal once again this season. The Knights lost 3-2 to Adams Central in last year’s championship, but the Jets will have all new players this time around as their entire varsity in 2021 graduated.
She added that with the amount of varsity players the team has coming back after the season they had last year, more teams in the field – which includes Huntington North, Bellmont, Bluffton, and South Adams – could be gunning for them this time around.
“I think that’s always our goal is to at least be in the sectional final,” Kimball said. “Last year we were a little bit of a wild card. We didn’t really know what to expect from us because we were so young. This year, I think we have a target on our backs.”
sports@news-banner.com
