Three 7-0 victories resulted in one more undefeated regular season for Greenwich High School’s varsity girls tennis team, which has made the spectacular accomplishment of going unbeaten, look routine.

The Cardinals swept their matches against Westhill, Fairfield Warde and Brien McMahon this week – wins that completed a perfect 15-0 regular season. Greenwich has now gone undefeated in the regular season each year since 2023 – that’s four straight seasons – under the guidance of coach Jerry Sulli.

Now it’s time for the postseason for the Cardinals, who are seeded No. 1 in the FCIAC Girls Tennis Tournament, which begins on Tuesday (May 12th). The top-seeded Cardinals will host eighth-seeded Danbury in Tuesday’s 4 p.m. FCIAC quarterfinals. Greenwich is the defending FCIAC Tournament champion and has also won the CIAC Class LL State Tournament title two consecutive seasons.

After beginning the week by winning a home match against Westhill High School, 7-0, on Monday, the Cardinals swept past visiting Fairfield Warde by the same score on Tuesday. Senior Shining Sun was victorious at No. 1 singles for GHS, continuing her highly successful season with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Warde’s Emerson Mannello.

“I really enjoyed it, she’s a really good player, she’s really consistent,” Sun said of her match versus Mannello. “A lot of times, I hit a good shot and then she got to it and she hit a deep shot. It really pushed me to keep it aggressive and consistent at the same time.”

Making the win versus Fairfield Warde extra special for the Cards was that it came on Senior Day.

“It’s been a tradition that I’ve done since my freshman year and it’s a nice way to close out the regular season,” Greenwich senior Caitlin Mahoney said of the fun Senior Day rituals the team followed. “We’re trying to end out on a strong note, moving into the postseason. We are trying to continue the momentum we have so far.”

Mahoney won her match at No. 2 singles against Fairfield Warde’s Diya Krishman, 6-0, 6-1. Like last season, Mahoney is undefeated at the second singles spot.

The 2025 season marked the first time since 2009 that Greenwich won both the FCIAC and Class LL tournament championships. Though the roster has changed quite a bit from last season, the Cardinals figure to make a significant run at both titles again.

“I feel confident,” Mahoney said. “As we have played and as I’ve gotten to know everyone, I’m really proud of the results we have and the hard work everyone has put into the season. I’m excited to continue what we’ve built so far.”

Sun is impressed with how well the team has picked right up from last season’s success. The Cardinals finished with an overall record of 22-0 one season ago, after going 22-1 in 2024.

“It’s so amazing, I’m so proud of everyone,” Sun said. “We have a lot of freshmen on the team and sophomores – people who haven’t been on varsity in general. We have 17 people on the team and 10 of them are new players.”

“Many of them haven’t had experience playing, but they have stepped up to the plate so well,” Sun continued. “They have been keeping themselves cool under pressure. They’ve been hitting their shots not letting the idea of it’s a varsity match, get to them.”

At third singles, freshman Chloe Culver won in straight sets for Greenwich, defeating Grace Fanelli, 6-1, 6-1. Emma Vogelhut, also a freshman, got the start at fourth singles for the Cards against Warde and promptly won her match, 6-1, 6-1.

“Normally I’m fifth doubles, at first I was really nervous, it’s a big jump, but I was trying to play aggressively and be consistent,” noted Vogelhut, who also expressed how appreciative she is of her first season on the varsity squad.

“It’s been such a fun experience, everyone is so nice, very supporting and very inclusive,” she said. 

In doubles competition, senior Maddy Wilber and freshman Sofia Rodriguez continued their undefeated season at the No. 1 position. Wilber and Rodriguez were 6-1, 6-2 winners against sisters Sheikh and Summer Fichander at the top doubles spot.

“They’ve blended well together, they complement each other,” coach Sulli said of his No. 1 doubles team. “Both hit it with power, Maddy is good at the net, so I’m happy with their undefeated season.”

At second doubles, the experienced duo of seniors Olivia Popp and Bella Barban were dominant again in a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Warde’s Micayli Breiner/Gracen Moore. The No. 3 doubles match saw senior Clara Sibley, also an experienced varsity player, team up with freshman Priya Gupta for another decisive victory.

“We just became partners this year, we just met this year, but at the beginning when we first started playing, we worked really well together,” Sibley said. “We communicated well and we’ve been able to keep each other up.”

“When one of us makes a mistake, the other one gets it back,” Sibley added. “We’ve kept each other positive and on track and haven’t gotten down, negatively.”

As for her senior season as a member of the successful Cardinals?

“It’s been super fun, we’ve had a lot of good matches and everyone has had fun,” Sibley said. “It’s been a good senior season.”

The regular season concluded for GHS with a 7-0 win over Brien McMahon in Norwalk on Thursday. Mahoney played at first singles and won her match, 6-0, 6-0. Culver was victorious at No. 2, 6-0, 6-0 and sophomore Chloe Jordan was successful at third singles for the Cards, 6-2, 6-2. In the No. 4 singles matchup, Reece Raffe won in straight sets for Greenwich, 6-1, 6-1.

Wilber/Rodriguez won their No. 1 doubles match, 6-0, 6-1, Popp/Barban cruised to a 6-0, 6-0 triumph at No. 2 and Sibley/Gupta were victorious, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 3.

In a home match against Westhill on Monday, Sun, Mahoney, junior Avery Li and Culver each won in straight sets in their matches at first-fourth singles, respectively for the Cardinals.

Barban/Popp, Raffe/Alexandra Rothstein and Jordan/Vogelhut each teamed up for straight set wins at first-third doubles, respectively against Westhill.

Greenwich now sets its sights on winning the FCIAC and Class LL tournaments.

“I’m really excited and looking forward to it, especially since it’s my first year,” Gupta said. “I don’t know what to expect, but I look forward to it.”

“I am confident going into the postseason, we look good,” Sulli said. “Still, we have to play the games, you can never underestimate your opponent.”