O’Dea Tennis Falls To The Panthers 4-1

SEATTLE – The O’Dea Fighting Irish tennis squad made the trek over to Lower Woodland yesterday to play against rival Seattle Prep and lost with a score of 4-1. The match gave the Irish many things they need to work on and showed off star player.

Junior singles player Lorenzo Neri was a shining star for the Irish. He was the only Irish player who won a match this contest and has only lost one match the duration of the season. When he gets hot it is hard to stop “Zo Nation” as he is known at school.

Senior tennis player John Nishimoto characterizes Neri as a “hard carry” which means that he is the teams best player and it has been proven throughout the season. He has the most wins on the team and continues to rack points up for the Irish when they need it most.

Aside from Neri, the matches against Prep emphasized some improvements that the team needs to make if they wish to make it to the Metro playoffs and the state tournament. The main concern is making less mistakes in the little things and to be more consistent from senior players. They will face Prep again later in the season on April 19th which they will be seeking revenge.

The Irish next face Cleveland High School where they hope to get back on track. Prep was a great wake up call into next steps as the season progresses. In the preseason, the goal for them was to make it to state and it is still possible but they must stay consistent and limit mistakes.