Built for This: Thayer's Girls Tennis Team Chases NEPSAC Class A Berth

A 13–2 record is a number. What it doesn’t tell you is how a group of young student-athletes handled adversity, stepped into big moments, and built something that looks and feels like a program on the rise.

That’s the real story of Thayer Academy’s girls varsity tennis team this spring. From the opening week to their latest road match, completed after a weather delay and a compressed warmup that would have rattled a lesser group, these Tigers have competed with a consistency and composure that speaks to something deeper than talent. They have competed like a team that trusts each other, has been prepared for pressure, and understands what they’re playing for.

What makes this season significant isn’t just the wins. It’s who is winning. Senior captains Claire Harris and Ella Aiello have led this program the way you hope captains lead—not through titles, but through example. Harris has been a steady, decisive presence in the biggest moments all season, and Aiello has shown a rare ability to raise her level when the match demands it most. Their Senior Day performance against Tabor Academy, each winning in singles before pairing up for a doubles victory together, was a fitting portrait of two athletes who have given everything to this program. Watching them go out that way was a privilege.

Saoirse Morrissey ’27 has been one of the most consistent competitors in the league all spring, anchoring the top of the singles lineup with a dominance that has rarely wavered. She has pushed elite opponents to their limit, including a marathon performance against an undefeated Class A BB&N squad that came down to a final tiebreak. That kind of competitive fight doesn’t show up in a box score. Alongside her, Lyla Martel ’27 has formed one of the team’s most reliable doubles partnerships: calm, aggressive at the net, and unflinching in tight matches. Katie McCarthy ’27 has been the engine of the doubles lineup, the kind of player who controls matches quietly and makes opponents earn every point.

Sophomores Lizzie Woods and Molly Dunigan have been nothing short of outstanding for players at this stage of their careers. Woods has handled the pressure of competing at the top of the lineup with a maturity that defies her experience, while Dunigan has grown into one of the team’s most trusted clutch performers. Their doubles partnership has been a consistent source of points all season. Perri Kaplan ’28, in her first varsity singles appearance this season, trailed mid-match and won. That’s the sort of debut moment that signals something real about a competitor’s future.

The only loss that carried any real weight came at Groton, one of the most decorated programs in NEPSAC Class A—a field that also includes Phillips Academy, Phillips Exeter, and Choate. Getting into that tournament is not guaranteed; it is earned against the best prep school programs in New England. The Tigers went into Groton, took the measure of what elite looks like at that level, and came out more determined. The performances that followed made that clear.

Behind all of this is head coach Sally Goldman P ’99, ’00, ’03, whose connection to the sport runs deep. A former No. 1-ranked USTA New England junior player, Goldman co-founded the Weymouth Club with her husband, Steve, and spent more than three decades building it into one of the South Shore’s premier tennis institutions. She understands what the game demands—not just technically, but mentally and emotionally. Her athletes don’t panic when they fall behind. They adjust. They compete. They find a way. That is her influence, and it has been visible in match after match this spring.

“We have goals and a mission for our team,” says Goldman. “We ask, ‘What does it take to win?’ This creates the mindset we all commit to. We look at the schedule, and our practices are planned according to who we are playing. We train and compete in our practices, and that can determine where you will play in the lineup for a given match. Each girl is asked to contribute to our overall vision and mission. It is positive tension that helps teach athletes how to compete. Playing tennis and knowing how to compete in a match are two different skills. This all contributes naturally to the unity of our team. We know we have nine matches to play and need at least five points to win. I’m proud not only of what these players have accomplished on the court, but of the character they show off the court. They represent Thayer and our program with class, commitment, and heart.”

Thayer enters the final stretch of the season with momentum and a clear goal. The NEPSAC Class A Tournament is within reach, and this team has earned the right to be talking about it. They have faced the best, responded to setbacks, and shown up for each other all season long. Whatever comes next, this group has already proven that Thayer tennis is a program worth watching.