The Cretin-Derham Hall Girls Tennis team has had a very competitive start to their 2023 season. Although they may not have come out with as many wins as they would like, many of the matches have been closely contested. With head coach Tim Spika entering his 34th season with the team, he’s looking to help the team finish strong and prepare for the postseason in October.

Some of the top players this season in singles matches are Ava Wieland '24, Izzy Mattaini '26, and Maeve Zilka '26. The team also has many great players in doubles matches like Kaiya Anderson '25, Hope Hadac '25, Stella Hadac '25, Kayla Wengelewski '24, Riley Russell '27, and Jordi Rosga '28.

Coach Spika spoke to the team's strengths this season. “We have a lot more depth than last season and that's allowed us to be competitive in most of our matches.” 

Spika said the class of '24 has contributed a lot to that depth with eight seniors on the team, including captains Ava Wieland and Claire Rom '24. He said the seniors have been “Great Role models this season, with only two of them playing on a regular basis, but this year's group has been positive, dedicated and dependable. They are a fun group to have around and there has never been a day we haven't enjoyed being on the tennis courts together.”

The Raiders are looking to make some noise when the postseason tournament matches start up in October. Until then, you can catch the Raiders in action at home on September 21 against East Ridge and on September 28 against Woodbury.