CHS Tennis Building Base

Cromwell High School tennis seniors (from left) Julia Drew, Aisling Gollareny, Kelly McTeague, and Olivia Lusitani helped the Panthers win 20 total matches over the last two years. 

For a second straight season, the girls tennis team at Cromwell High School made the state tournament.

Third-year head coach Lydia Murphy said the team showed incredible “resilience” after overcoming several setbacks the last few years. 

“I’m proud of this group,” added Murphy. “They’ve been through a lot.”

The current group of seniors had their freshman season wiped away because of the Covid-19 cancellation in 2020 and last spring the team was forced to practice indoors with pop-up nets as the outside courts were being renovated. 

Despite the obstacles, the Panthers won 20 matches (19 regular season matches and a tourney match) over the last two years.

“This group is amazing, on and off the court,” stated Murphy. “They are such hard workers.”

Murphy noted that her four departing seniors — Julia Drew, Aisling Gollareny, Kelly McTeague, and Olivia Lusitani — have helped lay the foundation and set a standard of excellence.

“These girls have stepped up,” Murphy said of her seniors. “They know they are helping build up the program.”

Each of the seniors played major roles this year with McTeague assuming the No. 1 singles spot, Lusitani serving as the No. 2 singles, and Aisling and Juliet primarily playing doubles. 

McTeague, Gollareny, and Drew were team captains and Lusitani earned all-conference honorable mention after winning 13 of 15 singles matches and her only double match this year.  

“They stepped in whenever I needed them; they are so good with the younger players,” added Murphy, who has also coached Unified Sports. “They are the most responsible set of girls that I have ever coached.”

Murphy, a math teacher at CHS, was a member of Westbrook High School’s 2012 state championship tennis team before graduating in 2015.

She noted that she uses a lot of the same principles and philosophies that she learned from her high school coach, Paula Fitzgerald, in Westbrook. 

“She has been an awesome mentor,” added Murphy, who also credited CHS principle Andrew Kuckel and athletic director Kelly Maher for allowing her the opportunity to build the program in Cromwell. 

​Entering her fourth year next spring, Murphy will lean on Julia Baymuradova, who will return after earning second-team all-conference.