Freshmen to Watch: Gorgi and Moran are the Future of Moses Brown Girls Tennis

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Jack Andrade, GoLocalProv Sports Reporter

Moses Brown Head Coach Emily Mahoney was nervous. It was the qualifying round of the Rhode Island Girls State Doubles Tournament, and Mahoney was sending a pair of freshmen into action against a seeded team from South Kingstown that was favored to win even before Moses Brown had to make an emergency lineup switch.

Both Maddie Gorgi and Racy Moran had great seasons for the Quakers, with Gorgi playing 1st doubles and Moran 2nd doubles on the 5th best team in Division 1. Both had experienced senior partners to counteract the youth and inexperience of Moses Brown’s talented-but-green freshmen sensations.

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Today, however, both seniors were away visiting colleges. For the first time ever, Gorgi and Moran would be doubles partners.

They won their qualifying match. Then they won another. And another. Gorgi and Moran stole the show and became the underdog story of the tournament for Girls Doubles.

“They just played so great,” said Mahoney proudly. “They made it all the way to the semi-final after not even being a seeded team to begin the tournament.”

Gorgi and Moran lost to the eventual champions of Girls Doubles (Lucia Bolibrusch and Grace Callahan of North Kingstown) by a score of 7-5, 6-3. The improbable Final 4 run was over, but the season was not.

The Quakers finished with the 5th seed in Division 1 this year and traveled to Smithfield for their quarterfinal team tournament match. Both senior partners were back and Gorgi and Moran were split up again. Moses Brown lost a nail-biter to Smithfield 4-2, concluding an enjoyable and overall successful season.

“This has definitely been one of the nicest teams I’ve ever had,” said Mahoney. “We had 7 seniors this year and our 3 senior captains were really just great leaders.”

With such a senior-laden team, one might think it’d be hard for a couple of hotshot youngsters to fit in with the veteran core of the roster, but that wasn’t the case at Moses Brown.

“Being on the tennis team has helped me make a lot of new friends and adjust to high school,” said Gorgi. “There was never any hazing of the freshmen and all the upperclassmen are really nice.”

“It’s really fun to have the whole team cheering you on and watching you in matches,” added Moran. 

High School Tennis is a unique “team” sport because teammates have to play each other in matches to determine their spot on the team (Varsity, JV, Singles, Doubles, etc.). Mahoney said she thought this year’s team handled that delicate aspect of team-building very well.

“It can be really cutthroat and competitive because everyone has to earn their spot,” she said. “But these two girls [Gorgi and Moran] came in, earned their spots on our ladder, and were embraced by their teammates.”

Both Gorgi and Moran are serious tennis players and play all summer to prepare for the season. Mahoney says she hopes her two freshmen stars continue to stick with tennis and grow into leaders and singles players next year.

“I would love to have a team like this for the next 4 years,” Mahoney said. I hope we can just have the same environment with the team and have them [Gorgi and Moran] sort of foster that in and continue it for us.”

 

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