On Oct. 4, the Parkway North girls tennis competed in Districts at Parkway Central, where senior Christa Sauer and junior Nishika Hegde placed third in doubles and senior Riya Sheth and junior Lianna Mushchinske placed fourth in doubles. Junior Giselle Krikorian was crowned District champion after winning against Francis Howell Central with a score of 6-3, 6-4. This is the first time North has had three teams in the semi-finals.
Krikorian has been playing tennis for 10 years, following in the footsteps of her sisters who also played tennis for North.
“I knew if I just put in my best game, it would pay off,” said Krikorian, “I thought I was going to lose to [Parkway] Central in the semi-finals because I was playing someone who was very consistent and fast, but I just tried to hit every ball back and move around her.”
Krikorian lost to Parkway Central last year, so her comeback this year was greatly celebrated. After making it past semi-finals, she advanced to the finals where she competed against Francis Howell Central.
“[My opponent and I] were both very tired, but I had played her earlier in the season and knew how to beat her. I was pretty shocked because there were a lot of good players and I had some long matches,” Krikorian said.
Sectionals was the next step for Krikorian. They were held in Jefferson City on Oct. 15. The scores were incredibly close, but at Districts, Krikorian sustained a leg injury and ultimately Ashley Firored of Troy Buchanan won with a score of 6-3, 6-4.
“Giselle had a great season,” said varsity tennis coach Ronald Lefcourt, “Her play steadily increased as the season progressed and was at her peak when it counted.” Lefcourt has been coaching tennis for 20 years and coached Krikorian’s sisters during their time at North.
“I got to watch [Krikorian] play. It was definitely a hard-fought game,” said junior varsity tennis coach Lorrie Crossett.
Overall, varsity made great improvements; the team’s record this year is 9-6.
“I’m proud of how far I made it because I made new friends and had a great time on varsity this year,” said Muschinske, who was part of the third-place team along with Sheth.
Next year’s tennis season is shaping up to be another success. Junior Audrey Storer was injured the last few weeks of the season, but she, along with junior Ange Upchurch are expected to contribute greatly to the team next year.
“Each year brings different challenges so we try to adapt our training to what we think the team needs to succeed,” said Lefcourt.