Growing up in the Gaddis household, Elizabeth was always a little envious of her twin sister, Molly, when it came to tennis.
Molly Gaddis was a little bit taller, a little bit stronger and a little bit better with a racket. Elizabeth was always happy for her twin’s success, proud even, but she also craved that same kind of attention so much that chasing her sister’s greatness on the court has been her internal drive.
For the past three years on the Andover high school girls tennis team, Molly had come close to winning a state title in singles. But this year was marked to finally be her year.
Knowing this could be their last year playing together, Elizabeth consumed herself in tennis after placing third in doubles last year at state. She took extra lessons and practiced longer, as Molly’s level helped elevate Elizabeth.
“I just kept thinking in the back of my mind,” Elizabeth said, “‘If Molly wins state and I don’t, how would that look?’ It was a consistent thought.”
Their senior season went according to plan leading into this past Saturday at the Class 5A state tournament hosted at the Andover District Tennis Complex, as Molly advanced to the singles final and Elizabeth reached the doubles final with her partner, Nadia Kaewsai.