Kinch Returns

After more than two months at Westford Academy in Boston, Massachusetts, sophomore Lauren Kinch returned to AHS and immediately got back into the swing of things with her first practice in March on the girls varsity tennis team. She has been plagued with sicknesses such as mononucleosis and injuries such as her broken rib in the fall. And still recovering from hip surgery to repair a torn ligament back in August 2007, Kinch’s doctors did not even expect her to play tennis this year.

“If you want something bad enough, it can happen,” said Kinch.

Now, she is the number one seed for the Atoms and is looking to help spark the young team going into the district tournament. Kinch’s teammates are happy to have her back and know that she will be a big help.

“I’m glad she came back,” said sophomore Samantha Lugar, the number five seed. “[She’s] the strongest player that we have.”

“Lauren is a really good player, and will be, especially next year,” said the number four seed, sophomore Hope Stadulis.

Since her return, she has played in two matches: South County and Lake Braddock. Although, the Lady Atoms lost both of these meets. The matches were close but the individual losses added up to an overall loss for the girls.

This has been the story for much of the season. The girls team is 1-11 on the year, but many of the losses have been close. The losses to South County, T.C. Williams, and West Springfield were 4-5 and their one win against Hayfield was a defining 8-1 victory.

Co-head coaches Anthony Harper and Quynh Nguyen believe that improving consistency in attendance to the matches and playing more aggressively will really help the girls.

“Every week, there has been a different Top 6,” said Coach Harper.

With about two or three players missing each match due to chorus trips, band trips, or yearbook conventions, constant changes in the Top 6 undo improvements made. In fact, the Atoms match against the Bruins on April 22 was one of the first matches when all of the starting Top 6 were playing.

On a positive note, the Top 6 rotations have given other girls opportunities to play. With no seniors on the team, this gives the players chances to improve and the team a stronger depth going into next year.

They played the T.C. Williams Titans Monday, but the results were too late to be published in this issue. This afternoon, the Lady Atoms go to West Springfield HS to finish up the regular season. The Patriot District Tournament begins May 5 and lasts through May 8.