That first tennis match of the year can be a jolt – moving from the warm, temperature-controlled gym to the blustery, sunny conditions outside. But Kearsarge girls’ tennis overcame both the weather conditions and Lebanon to pick up a 6-3 win to open its season on Monday.

The Cougars (1-0) won the Division III championship last year as part of a 16-0 season. Second-year head coach Jason Stadler remained undefeated after the team’s win to open up 2023.

“My strategy and opening line to the girls was just play smart, play it in the fat of the court and get it over the net,” he said. “From there, anything can happen, but if we can’t do those three, then we’ll never succeed at all. They did exactly what I asked them to do.”

Kearsarge won four of the six singles matches and two of the three doubles matches. Seniors Megan Lizotte (8-0 at No. 3) and Kelsey Kane (8-1 at No. 4) and sophomores Anela Branco (8-1 at No. 2) and Kira Gauntt (8-1 at No. 6) won their singles matches; junior Tori Montagna and Lizotte won their doubles match (8-2 at No. 1) as did Gauntt and senior Amber Houle (8-5 at No. 3).

Of the top six singles players from last year’s championship team, five graduated. Only Montagna returned this season. Still, the more inexperienced part of the roster performed well against a Lebanon team that also had several players playing high school tennis for the first time.

Stadler and the Cougars now turn their attention to two more matches this week: at Bishop Brady on Tuesday and at Sanborn on Thursday.

“It was a great team effort, and a good way to start the season,” Stadler said. “That’s what we wanted to do. Our motto (is) ‘Win five to stay alive.’ That’s what we did. We’re going to stick with that and go forward from there.”

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