The Girls Varsity Tennis Team ended their season with a record of 9-3. Leading their team to that record were captains Nikita Litescu and Victoria Borg.
Along with their four-year varsity careers, both captains have been playing tennis for years prior to high school.Victoria began playing at the age of six, and Nikita began at the age of eight.
Throughout her years of playing on different teams, Victoria said her favorite memory had to be “playing in a playoff match in late October of last year. It was last year’s seniors playing doubles, and the entire team huddled up to watch them in the final match.” She enjoyed watching the team support their “senior teammates throughout the match.” Nikita said, “Anytime we play against a strong team and win a close game is always a good feeling.”
Along with the enjoyment, there are many responsibilities and expectations that come with being a captain of a sports team. “I have many responsibilities ranging from running our social media account, recruiting new players with our coach Dr. Mazza, and designing and ordering the team uniforms. It has all been a lot of fun to do,” Victoria said.
Nikita spoke about the challenges of creating a lineup. She said, “You don’t know what the outcome of the lineup will be until the season starts.” Victoria also mentioned the challenges of combining senior year with the responsibilities of leading a team: “The biggest challenge is juggling all that we have going on: college applications, Queens College classes, the election simulation, and after-school activities. So prioritizing and time management are key.”
Their coach, math teacher Stephen Mazza chose the captains based on the level of reliability and commitment they’ve shown during their time on the team. “Ideally the team captains are seniors, starters, and players that I can count on,” he said. He admires the captains’ “exceptional character” and said, “My two captains are strongly committed to the team… They have all shown themselves to be exceptional captains throughout the season.”
Junior Ana Montán, said she admires the captains’ “dedication to the sport.” She said that the captains “come to practice, games, and fulfill their captain responsibilities while also attending their QC class twice a week.” In terms of team bonding and communication she believes that “creating a fun environment where everyone can grow individually in the sport is the most important thing. Both Nikita and Victoria achieve that.”
Freshman Aleah Tercero, said, “I admire the captains’ commitment and willingness to hang out with the team and that they help out other teammates when they have questions.”
Both Nikita and Victoria have taken inspiration from previous captains over the years. Victoria said, “Our previous captains always made sure to support us no matter the result of our matches. They went out of their way to make us feel welcome.” Nikita mentioned the competitiveness of tennis and said, “I’ve learned to not take these things personally, and I remind the team that we’re here to have fun and that we shouldn’t let other people ruin that.”
Being a captain means loving the sport and dedicating time to the team, all while having fun. Ana’s favorite memory with Nikita was their first time playing together against Forest Hills. “We were losing and it was a close game, but we came back,” she said. With her other captain, Ana said, “My favorite memory with Victoria is any moment during practice. Singing and laughing every day is something I cherish.” Aleah said, “My favorite memory with my captains is when we were at two games and they were all cheering us on and giving us tips on how to stay positive.”
Victoria said, “We’ve built a strong team culture over the years, and our current [record this] season is a direct result. …I am so proud of this team.”
