When the Atlee girls stepped onto the Cosby High School tennis courts against Mills E. Godwin in the Central Region Championship, they knew victory would not come easy. Even though both teams came into the contest undefeated on the season, Godwin’s 18-0 record carried more weight than Atlee’s 16-0. But the strength of the Eagles streak did not reside strictly in the number of wins they had notched this season but rather in the numbers three, 10 and 70.

  Under the direction of head coach Mark Seidenberg, Godwin has become a virtual dynasty in high school girls tennis. Atlee knew it was facing a team that had won three consecutive AAA state titles and was in search of a record fourth. The Eagles were also a team that had won the last 10 Central Region titles. But perhaps most impressive was the fact that Godwin was riding a 70-match winning streak, deserving of the nickname the UConn Huskies of high school girls tennis.

  “I don’t know,” Seidenberg laughed. “Hopefully we’re not as hated.”

  Therefore it really came as no surprise that the Eagles streak saw little challenge from Atlee as Godwin moved their winning streak to 71 consecutive matches with their 11th consecutive Central Region title; 5-1.

  “They’ve got a good tradition for us and others to shoot for in their tennis program,” said Atlee head coach Duke Price.

  In #1 singles, Godwin freshman Kelly Stewart held off a strong first set rally from Atlee senior Yasmin Fotovat to pull out the win 7-5, 6-2.

  With a slot in the state tournament already sealed, Fotovat came into the match loose. “Really I was just out there having fun today,” she said. “I had nothing to lose.”

  In the two through four slots, a trio of Godwin seniors Nicole Parker, Meg Kristofak and Maddie Wood took out Raider seniors Shao-Ching Tu, Christina Shifflett and freshman Madeline Wills in straight sets.

  Godwin’s Haley Moses rallied from a first set deficit to beat Atlee’s Shannon Heard 6-2, 6-1 in the #5 matchup.

  The Raiders picked up their lone win of the championship at #6 when freshman Katharine Leitch defeated Godwin freshman Abigail Randolph 6-4, 6-0.

  “Katharine Leitch played a great match,” Siedenberg said. “She had a positive attitude and she played really well.”

  Though his team fell, Price believes his Raiders will learn from the experience of playing in its first regional championship match. “It’s just good experience whether you win or lose,” he said. “Just being here and representing the region. There’s a lot of good tennis players around Richmond so they should be proud.”

  With their second place region finish, the Atlee team advances to the state tournament for the first time in over a decade and only the second time in school history.

  The Raiders have regularly had good individual players but team accomplishments have not been a standard. This year’s Atlee squad was different.
  “Look at Godwin,” Price said. “You’ve got to have six solid players and this year we’ve had six solid players. Not quite good enough to beat Godwin but they’re solid enough to get to this point. We’re looking forward to going to the state tournament.

  “It’s a team effort and these girls have stuck together all year with the parents and supported the program,” Price added.  “Everybody wants to win but there can only be one winner. I congratulate the Mills Godwin team. They’re a great team.”

  Both Atlee and Godwin advance to state playoffs June 1. Godwin will host the Eastern region runner-up while Atlee will travel to the Eastern champion.

  Though his Eagles ran away with the region championship, Siedenberg said state opponents should not underestimate the Raiders and he would not be surprised to meet up with Atlee again.

  “I like our chances,” Siedenberg said. “I don’t know who’s coming out of north but we’ve scouted them a little bit based on the internet. Atlee’s just as good as those teams are. I think they’ll have to play pretty well to beat the Eastern champ but they have depth and I think they can do it.

  “I would like to think that we could play (Atlee) in the finals,” Siedenberg said. “I’d love to see two teams from the Central Region play in the finals. That’s great for tennis around here.”

Mills Godwin 5, Atlee 1
Singles: Kelly Stewart (MG) d. Yasmin Fotovat 7-5, 6-2; Nicole Parker (MG) d. Shao-Ching Tu 6-2, 6-2; Meg Kristofak (MG) d. Christina Shifflett 6-1, 6-1; Maddie Wood (MG) d. Madeline Wills 6-2, 6-3; Haley Moses (MG) d. Shannon Heard 6-2, 6-1; Katharine Leitch (A) d. Abigail Randolph 6-4, 6-0
Records: Mills Godwin 19-0; Atlee 16-1