Team; Caitlin McLoughlin, Alaia Rbio-Perez, Katie Swindell & Nina Sherwen
Day 1
Kent v Dorset
Having sat off for the first round of matches, our girls couldn’t wait to get going in this first match against Dorset.
Katie put in an amazing performance against her opponent, playing some incredibly smart tennis with lots of variety and won emphatically without losing a game putting us 1-0
Alaia was involved in a more topsy-turvy match with her opponent and although she looked in control of her match, found herself in a third-set tiebreak.
Alaia Played some excellent tennis in parts but her opponent was good at hanging in there and made it difficult for Alaia, however at the start of the third set, Alaia had her best run of points in the match when she needed it the most and whilst her opponent chipped away at the lead, Alaia came through and put us 2-0 up.
Caitlin had already gone on at this point and her opponent looked to be in very good form.
Caitlin showed some excellent qualities at the beginning of the match, keeping her opponent back and frustrating her by returning her best shots, it wasn’t long before she had the lead and the mental edge.
She was able to keep the momentum and won the match 4-0, 4-0 and giving us the win over Dorset before the doubles which Caitlin and Nina won comfortably.
Kent v Hampshire & IOW
Our next match against Hampshire & IOW always looked like a tough task on paper and so it proved.
Katie and Alaia went on at the same time and it was clear from the first point that their opponents were at the top of their games from the first point. Alaia tried her very best to find a way of breaking her opponent down but the girl she played put in a very good performance and we lost the match putting 1-0 down.
Katie was also struggling but in a dramatic turn around pinched the match from her under her opponent’s nose on the third set tiebreak.
Suddenly we were back in it and Caitlin was a set up in her match, but this was far from easy and it was no surprise that her opponent took the second set to force another tiebreak.
Caitlin showed some excellent metal strength at the beginning of the tiebreak, racing into a healthy lead. However, her opponent would not go away and staged a great comeback and at this point it was nip and tuck. In the end the Hampshire number 1 came through, it was a tough loss but it was still all to play for in the doubles.
Alaia and Katie played the doubles, a win would have forced a tiebreak shootout but their opponents were too strong and we lost the match and the tie.
It was fantastic to see all four girls playing doubles in a positive way, with lots of volleying, lots of intercepting and good team work, it was a high quality match and gave us confidence for the next day.
Day 2
Kent v Sussex
Going into the second day we still had a chance to qualify for the national finals, however we were having to rely on other results going our way.
The match against Sussex was one that we felt confident winning, Alaia put the team 1-0 ahead with a comfortable win at number 2 and Katie was equally as impressive in her match.
We were 2-0 ahead but Caitlin was not having it her own way against her unorthodox opponent and fell behind in her match. Whilst she battled back to force a first set tibreak, her opponent continued to frustrate her, the match slipped away and once more this tie would be settled by the doubles.
Caitlin and Alaia teamed up for this one, they strolled through the first set but fell behind in the second. Momentum had shifted Sussex way and with all girls rallying from the basline and with each point lasting well over 20 shots, it became a battle of wills.Our girls eventually one in straight sets clinching the tie 3-1 guaranteeing 3rd place.
Kent v Surrey
The Surrey team were incredibly strong, we knew that if were going to make this one competitive we would have to be at the very top of our games to stand any chance of beating them.
Our girls were up for it, Alaia played her best tennis of the weekend in her match and was making her opponent work hard for every point, Katie was playing to a high level in her match aswell but her opponent was just too strong.
Both girls put up a great fight but in the end were unable to deny Surrey a 2-0 lead, it was down to Caitlin to keep the tie alive.
In a contest full of excellent tennis and ball striking, it was again the Surrey player who prevailed meaning that we could no longer win the tie or the competition regardless of other results.
We didn’t let this affect our concentration for the doubles, Nina and Katie wanted to win to avoid the whitewash.
They played some superb doubles, both Nina and Katie taking command of the net. It was so refreshing to see, especially as lots of other doubles matches being played around them saw very few volleys with all for players at the baseline. They stuck to their gun and it worked, we were comfortable winner losing just one game.
On reflection this was a good year for the Kent team. The group we find ourselves in is extremely competitive and a tough group to emerge from, the girls were contenders right the way through and should be proud of their efforts.
I would like to thank all of the girls and their parents for making this year so enjoyable, it really was a pleasure to captain the side.
Harry Bushnell
Captain