Tennis Season Ends on Good Note

By Ariana Chaudhry 

“I’m proud of the work each player put in to improve and how eager players were for challenge matches,” said Laura Overbeck, head coach of the tennis team.

The middle school girls tennis team finished with a total record of seven wins and seven losses. There were two coaches this season: Laura Overbeck and Stuart Clemens. The team had a total of ten players, nine eighth graders and one seventh grader.

Amrutha Juluri

Avery Wang

Charlotte Ahn

Noor Arif

Ariana Chaudhry

Arielle Lewis

Lily Fraser

Lily Blocksom

Devu Bandinani 

Dawson Follin

Noor Arif and Avery Wang were the team captains.

Being the only seventh grader on the team, Charlotte Ahn said, “The hardest part was trying to make a friend because there were no other seventh graders on the team.”

Although she adjusted very well because she said the easiest part of the season was “getting to know everybody because everybody was really nice.” Besides being the one seventh grader, Charlotte had the best overall record with only one loss out of all fourteen matches she played.

The hardest part of the season for other players was different. “There were a lot of coaches and opponents who were not very kind to us,” Amrutha Juluri said. “[They] didn’t show very good sportsmanship,” Devu Bandinani added. 

Losing was also a very hard part of the tennis season, and the team did have an equal number of wins to losses, so it happened frequently. “It ruins your morale and your spirit,” Noor Arif stated.

Coach Laura said, “The hardest part is watching a player have a bad day. It’s part of the game. There is always a winner and loser, but when you know a player is off it’s hard.”

Although there were downsides to the season, there were also a lot of upsides. The team overall got runner up in the season tournament barely trailing behind Cardinal Pacelli.

Amrutha Juluri was runner up for first singles. Noor Arif placed runner up for third singles in the tournament. Ariana Chaudhry and Lily Fraser were the champions of second doubles.

Every player improved in their serves and backhands by the end of the season. They all started to begin to hit stronger and more angled shots. “I think everybody’s serves improved after playing the first couple of matches,” Amrutha Juluri said. 

According to all the players, their favorite memories from the season were the van rides, the on-campus party, the tournament, and the main event outing.

At the end of every practice, the team would play a game called Queen of the Court, kind of like the game HORSE in basketball. This was also a team favorite.

‘‘This was a great season,” Coach Overbeck said. “There was healthy competition but each of them knew that the main persons they were competing against was themselves and improving their own game.’’

Better Season Than They Thought 

By: Winnie Brennan and Tess Nelson (published on November 18, 2022

Mr. Rising did not know what to expect during this middle school golf season. “I was almost killed twice by a ball on a course,” Mr. Rising said. But they ended the season with a winning record, much improvement, and no golf ball accidents.  

Each of the players improved tremendously during the season. “The ones that had never played golf improved a ton,” said Mr. Rising, head coach of middle school golf. Jack Brooks, Matia Kastner, and Patrick Williams contributed significantly to the team’s success.  

“We did better than I thought we would,” said Henry Lafley, an eighth-grade golfer. “We didn’t look too strong in the practices, but in the matches, we did pretty well.”

The team worked hard, and “had a lot of fun” on car rides to matches, according to Mr. Rising. “When I picked the music, it was pretty great, but when the kids did it, it wasn’t so great,” Rising said.  

“Some of the biggest opponents were Summit, Saint Mary’s, Cardinal Pacelli, and All Saints,” said Mr. Rising. Though their competitors were very good, the team managed to put some wins under their belt. Mr. Rising said that the team mainly competed on par three courses. 

Overall, they ended the season with a 5-3 record. Even though they started the season with a rocky start, they were able to get it together and finish on a solid note.

Cross Country Sets Personal Records

By: Anika Kakar and Campbell Coyne (published on November 18, 2022

The Seven Hills middle school cross-country team worked very hard this season and set many new records, both individual and team.

According to head coach Mr. McGarvey, the highest point of the season was “seeing improvement, people having fun. Times continually dropped,” Mr. McGarvey said, and most runners set new personal records (PRs) throughout the season. 

The boys team also gained more runners as the season went on. They started at the beginning of the year with only two boys on the team, but finished with six runners. Some of their best performances include the Seven Hills, Norwood, MVC, and All City meets. The girls team had a great outcome at the Norwood meet, achieving back-to-back champions, two years in a row.

“We did really well in the meets,” eighth grade runner Madison Zortman said. “Almost all runners were receiving PRs each meet.”

At the MVC League Championship, Madison Zortman placed 3rd, while Campbell Coyne placed seventh and Charleigh Hayes finished ninth.

The team achieved second place in the Seven Hills Invitational. 

“[The girls] were runner up, one point shy of winning,” McGarvey said.

Although Mr. McGarvey couldn’t make it to the invitational, he mentioned how he was still able to watch it on a FaceTime call. Mr. McGarvey was very proud of how the team did. 

Finally, at the All City meet, Clara Jackson-Peatie, seventh-grade girls runner, placed third in the small school division, and ninth in the overall meet, which was “quite an accomplishment,” said McGarvey.

“It was kinda hard to stop us”

By: Avery Clayton (publish November 18, 2022)

This year’s volleyball team had a fantastic season finishing with a 15-1 record. Their only loss was to Summit Country Day, who they beat in the MVC championship game. 

“I definitely thought the team meshed well together,” Coach Snyder said. “I knew early on that we were going to be a very competitive team just watching how everyone kind of stepped up and played together.”

The team’s only loss to Summit was a close one.

“When we played Summit the first time and went to three games and then lost 35-33, it was just the toughest and most exciting game I’ve coached in a long time,” Snyder said. But after that, Seven Hills never lost again.

“It was kinda hard to stop us,” Snyder said. 

Just before the tournament started, the volleyball team played Summit again and crushed them. “Beating them that second time, I think that’s what gave us the confidence to go into the tournament with [our] heads high, knowing that [we] could do it,” Coach Steuer said. 

The volleyball team improved significantly during the season. They worked hard in practices and improved by playing more as a team. “By the end of the season, each of the players found their role and really started to play as a team more than as individuals, and I think that was really key for us overall,” Coach Young said. 

The team members are seventh graders Bianca Patel, Maddie Imrie, Nyah Suttschenko, Marrisa McNerney, and eighth graders Campbell Coyne, Avery Clayton, Anju Green, and Madison Zortman. Kristen Snyder, Lindsey Steuer, and Kyla Morgan Young led the team as coaches. 

“Each girl fitted into a role,” Snyder said. “They figured out how to make each other better by doing their part to support the team.” 

Nyah and Marissa played outside hitter, with Campbell and Maddie playing back rows. Bianca and Anju performed as all-around setters, while Avery and Madison played middle all-around. 

Overall, the coaches were extremely pleased with how the season ended and they hope the volleyball program will continue to perform well. 

“The only hope I would have is that we continue to build the volleyball program,” Young said. “I would just love next year to continue to see a lot of girls come out and see that love of volleyball.”

“We All Work Together”

Girls Soccer Team Improves to 7-3-2

By Ariana Chaudhry and Sylvie Gumlaw (published October 19, 2022)

“I feel as if every day we are getting better,” Coach Hanley said about the middle school girls soccer team in an interview on September 15th.

So far, this season, the Middle school girls soccer team has a record of 7-3-2. The team captains, Layla Young and Charleigh Hayes feel good about their game record, as well as their coach, Mrs. Hanley. 

During their homecoming game, they won 8-0 against Clark Montessori. While interviewing Charleigh Hayes and Layla Young, Charleigh Hayes said, “Every single game we get a little bit better, and we learn something from it.” Their homecoming game was one of their best games, and it was not as intense as other games.

They faced one of their most challenging opponents twice this season and lost both times 0-3. Mariemont is the only team that the girls soccer team has lost to. 

Aside from their losses to Mariemont, the team has been realizing how to use the field. They have now improved on what they can do to be successful against difficult opponents.

At the start of the season the team was clumping together and not using the whole field. They also struggled looking up and finding teammates. Though they “were barely playing as a team” at the start of the season, they have made progress to get to where they are today. “We all work together really nicely,” Charleigh Hayes said.

A few team traditions have led to their success. That includes boosting up their confidence and even just a simple recognition for doing something good in the game.

One of their routines includes a gum cup. Each player will chew their own piece of gum before the game and then spit their piece into a cup. The MVP of the game gets the cup. Apparently, the gum cup actually “smells nice” according to Layla Young.

Another thing the team does is whenever they score a goal, they come together and give each other high fives to celebrate. Layla Young stated that this “boosts up our confidence” after a goal.

This year, the team is pretty small compared to last year’s roster of 20 players. Now, they only have 13 players on the team, so they are unable to have an A and B team. Since it is required to have 11 players on  the field, if 3 players are absent, then they won’t have enough for a proper team.

Overall, the team has had a great season with major improvements over the last few weeks. This year has been going really well with only 2 losses, a total of 3 ties, and 7 wins.

“I’m proud of our team for working together, not giving up, trying their best, and just giving all they have,” Layla Young said.

Boys Soccer Prepares for Playoffs

By Winnie Brennan and Tess Nelson (October 11, 20222)

“This year’s season has had its ups and downs,” said Mr. Marsan, the Middle School soccer coach. The boys soccer team has won many games, losing only two, both of which were against Mariemont. The current record for the boys is 6-2-1.

They started the season a little rocky, but they have won many games since. “We are starting to get better as a team and improve our skills,” Coach Marsan said. 

The boys are working hard by trying not just to understand the game but figure out the best strategy. They have found their strengths in defensive strategies as well as made important offensive improvements. Two primary keys to their success are “being fast and shooting,” said Nathan Mingo, an eighth grade player for the team.

He also said that they need to work on chemistry by getting to know each other as players and learning to trust one another. 

Seventh grader Dylan Wolujewicz stepped up as a goalie for the Gold team and is doing an excellent job. This means that other players, such as Stephen Gerhardt and Nathan Mingo, can now play more offensive positions.

The team was on a five-game winning streak until recently losing to Mariemont. The final game of the season is against Princeton this Wednesday October 12. They will also play Princeton in the playoffs on October 17.

The Blue team is having a good season as well. They currently have three wins, and they’re looking to finish the year on a win against Cincinnati Country Day on Tuesday October 11.

The teams are getting ready for upcoming tournaments and their final big games of the season. 

The boys have been making progress in their playing skills throughout the season. “When a [player] tries to understand how they can improve, it’s always inspiring for me,” Coach Marsan said.