On Thursday, October 18, Maeve Cassidy placed second in singles at the Section IX girls tennis tournament, which took place at Match Point Tennis Center in Goshen.

Cassidy began playing tennis at the age of ten. She started when she went to a tennis clinic with a group of friends.

“I played other sports at that time, but later I realized that my true passion was tennis,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy has been playing first singles on the Monroe-Woodbury girls varsity tennis team for the past two years. As a seventh grader, she was the youngest person on the team and got the spot of first singles. Now as an eighth-grader Cassidy has continued her role of first singles.

“The past two years have been great experiences with making new friends and growing in the game of tennis,” said Cassidy. “Coach Vero is always supportive and encouraging.”

Cassidy was also the first seventh-grader to place second in the OCIAA Singles Tournament last year.

“I love having Maeve on the team,” said Makaela Hung, a teammate of Cassidy. “She is a great asset to the team and an amazing player.”

The matches for the Section IX Tennis Tournament began on October 18. During the first round, Cassidy defeated Maggie Van Valkenburgh from Highland. In the quarterfinals, Cassidy defeated Becky Andrews from Goshen. During the semi-finals, Cassidy won against Isabelle Goings-Perrot from Newburgh. In the championship, Cassidy lost against Jalynn Balleste from Washingtonville, coming in second.

“I think I played well, [Balleste] just played better,” said Cassidy.

The top three players in the section advance to the state tournament. Cassidy, coming in second, was headed to states on Saturday, October 27.

“She played the best she’s played all season up until this point,” said Mr.Vero, the coach of the varsity tennis team.