March 25, 2024 – Story by Ava DiCecca, photos by Joshua Ross
While he is far from new to the girls tennis program, Steve Berger is stepping into the role of head coach for the first time and is beyond excited to kick off the season. He is thrilled to be taking over what he believes is an exceptional program and is hoping to be able to continue and build upon what past coaches and players have put in place. Senior Captain Ellie Clark and Junior Cassie McCabe touched on how they are just as anxious for the season to begin and are excited for a fun and successful year.
This season, the team is comprised of nine returning varsity players including two senior captains, Ellie Clark and Simran Vaishnava, and junior captain Sanya Khadivi. As tryouts begin, the many promising and talented underclassmen will be competing for the remaining spots on the varsity team. Having graduated some seniors, they will have a new group this year but they all hope the dynamic will be the same as junior Cassie McCabe commented that coming into this season she is most excited “to hang out with the team.” She went on to say that “these girls are some of the best.”
Clark shared her thoughts on the upcoming season as well stating, “we have a whole new group of coaches and they are bringing a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and great new ideas to the team so I am really excited for that. It sounds like it is going to be a really fun season.” With these new implementations, she is hoping the team will make it further in the State Tournament this year but as she and Berger agreed, they are not dwelling on post-season or outcome-based goals this year and are instead focusing on getting the most they can out of their regular season and time on the team.
Berger spoke more about how excited he is to have the opportunity to work with these girls in such a great program. When asked what he was looking to accomplish this year as a head coach he endlessly complimented the work of past coaches and stated, “if we can continue what they put in place for Hingham that would be tremendous.” He has many ideas himself to continue the betterment of the program including more integration of the JV and Varsity teams and fostering collegiate level interest and preparation but overall they will take it one day at a time.
While Berger has reluctance about setting these result-oriented goals, there is no doubt that the team will accomplish great things this season. They have a dedicated and hard-working group of girls who are determined to succeed this season while enjoying their time on the court and with their teammates. Furthermore, they have a new coaching staff by their side excited to aid them in making this season a successful one.