Bishop Guertin girls tennis tries to continue successful run

NASHUA – Jennifer Dai has never seen the Bishop Guertin High School girls tennis team lose a match.

In the senior’s first three seasons, the Cardinals went 51-0 and won three straight team championships. This year, after winning its first two matches, Bishop Guertin has already extended the streak and could be in line for another undefeated season.

But if that happens, it’s only a sign of the work put in by the Cardinals.

“It’s not the end goal,” Dai said of going undefeated. “It’s working hard and that’s the result that you see at the end.”

It’s already been a hectic season for the Cardinals. Debbie Lloyd, who coached Bishop Guertin to its three consecutive titles, was forced to step down due to personal reasons. The team started the season with former boys coach Bill Boucher in command until a permanent replacement could be found.

Less than a week before the season started, the Cardinals finally got a coach in Barry Ndinya. In the short time he’s been with them, he likes what he’s seen from the players.

“They’re a confident group,” Ndinya said. “They’re good together. I’ve noticed that they support each other and they have fun together. Maybe it’s because of the past, maybe the wins bring them together.”

Or perhaps the Cardinals’ togetherness brings the wins.

“We need to work together as a team,” Briana Leonard said. “That’s what we did last year. It was all of us rooting for each other and working together and that ended up being good for us. I feel like we’re definitely a lot stronger and we all know each other well.”

With Dai and Leonard in the mix, the Cardinals have two of the best players in the state back. Both reach the semifinals of the singles tournament last season, and Lauren Hayward, Bishop Guertin’s No. 3 singles player, could be a No. 1 for most teams.

“Sometimes I feel like I don’t have to say anything. I just send them out there and they play well and take care of business,” Ndinya said.

“It’s good to start the season strong,” Dai said. “We’ve been practicing hard and a lot of the players have been training during the winter. I think we’re confident, but we still have to go for every point, every shot.”

The Cardinals were scheduled to play at Exeter on Friday and home against Keene on Monday.