With the Spring 2020 athletics season disrupted by COVID-19, we are celebrating the athletes of Cary Academy’s Class of 2020 via ‘virtual Senior Nights’ each week. On Senior Night, each player is introduced by their coaches and then given the opportunity to make remarks.

From the coaches

Over the course of the past three years both Victor and Om made a huge impact on the CA Tennis program. Also known as the Bash Bros, Victor and Om always came to practices and matches with tons of energy, school spirit and a commitment to get better at tennis and help others do the same. No matter how the matches transpired both boys maintained a positive and optimistic outlook and always made us smile and feel fortunate as coaches. The coaching staff is going to miss both of them but know they have very bright futures ahead so we look forward to keeping in touch and seeing them at future CA tennis matches and alumni events. 

Regarding the new seniors on the team, Nate, Sachin and Saavan, we watched them develop over the years on JV and are sad we didn’t have a chance to get to know them better this season. Taylor was able to get to know Nate Dog through an internship at Hyperspace the prior summer and knows he is going to do big things in the near future. Each of the three brought a lot of energy and positive vibes to our practices and matches and we wish them the best of luck in the future. Go Chargers!

In their own words

Sachin Amaresh

First, I’d like to thank all of the coaches, both JV and Varsity, for helping me and allowing me to grow on the court. I’d also like to thank my teammates from this short-lived season and all past seasons.  The energy and enthusiasm they brought to every practice and match made the CA tennis program fun. 

As an athlete, tennis has been a good stress relief and a great a way to connect with other students and make friends. My favorite memory comes from the JV team competing to get “milkshake points” for the coveted Cookies and Cream Chick-fil-a Milkshake. I leave not being able to close out a match to no one, which means CA tennis will only take dubs. 

I am attending NC State for engineering this fall and I hope to be able to play tennis on an intramural team or just be able to hit with other tennis players. Thank you to everybody again who made the last 3.25 seasons of tennis so much fun! 

Om Naphade

Wow! These last four years have been a blast, from Freshman to Captain, tennis has changed my whole high school life. I want to thank my parents for providing tremendous encouragement when I decided to pick up tennis in 8^th grade. Their willingness to drive me to tournaments and practice was one of the main reasons I was able to improve quickly and make the varsity team freshman year. Thanks also to Taylor and Zach for being great coaches, preparing us for the tough rivalries, especially in our semi-final states run last year.  Thank you to all the captains from past years for setting a strict training regimen, one that I hope continues. For me, tennis has always been an outlet of energy and the team has always been a family. Even though my final season was cut incredibly short, I am still incredibly thankful for the life skills this sport has taught me. I will continue to play tennis in the future, ideally as a member of the club tennis team at Brown University (where I intend to concentrate in neuroscience). 

I have many memories from my four years on the CA varsity team.  I remember my first ever loss and the fallout on the bus ride home. I remember spending trimester break doing hill sprints during a thunderstorm. I remember our loss against Providence my first time watching the State Tournament. I remember all of these because they truly helped me become a better player. Of course, I also remember Max’s Jimmy Johns fantasies, the first time we beat DA in 3 years, Luke Johnson singing a harry potter song, Chris Toy splitting his racket on a light pole, and a bunch of other amazing and wacky things.

I leave workouts and captainship to Vibhav, singing on the bus to Max, telling freshman to stop complaining to Henry, making bad jokes to Travis (though he doesn’t need it), and finally being the coolest on the team to Evan. OmDaddy Out.

Victor Taylor

First and foremost I want to thank my parents for their unwavering support over the past four years.  You took me to matches, lessons, practices, and give me the facilities to be the best tennis player I could be. I would not be who I am today as a player and person without you two. Also, I’d like to thank Taylor and both Zachs for being great mentors and coaches these past four years, you have helped me become a better person and player. And last but certainly not least, thank you to my teammates both past and present for helping me improve and making me laugh and enjoy my time with this team no matter what circumstance; I always knew I would have fun every day as a part of the squad.

From being a tiny freshmanafraid  of the 400s after practice, unforgettable bus rides to Greensboro and Charlotte, clinching conferences last year at home in a three setter against that school in Durham and leaving all my effort and energy on the court at Country Day in states, this team and the memories I’ve made will hold a permanent, special place in my heart. High school would not have been the same without this team.

I want to leave the speaker duties to both Henry and Max; y’all can fight over whether you listen to “garbage rap” or Bad Bunny. Vibhav can have the weight room since he always was the most loyal training partner, and Evan, Sahil and the Uel can have the rest; enjoy being the Youngest Monies. 

I will be attending Davidson in the fall and majoring in Economics, but I’ll be back during the spring to see this team win, or even meet y’all in Charlotte.

Go CA Tennis and thank for the memories that will last a lifetime!

Saavan Yerramsetty

Tennis has meant a lot to me. It has helped me become a better team player and has also made me a competitive person. I don’t have memories of the varsity team because I was only on it for a few weeks. The memories I have from JV were the long bus rides and my fellow teammates. I want to thank all the coaches at CA that have helped me improve. Thanks for all the good times.