Lenox Boys, Girls Top Mount Greylock to Stay Unbeaten
LENOX, Mass. – One year after the Lenox girls tennis team won a Western Massachusetts title and advanced to the state semi-finals, the Millionaires’ boys and girls teams are rolling toward the post-season.
Lenox’s boys Saturday improved to 7-0 with a 5-0 win over Mount Greylock, and the girls upped their record to 9-0 with a 4-1 win over the Mounties at the Lenox Community Center.
“We keep on winning either 5-0 or 4-1, which is absolutely amazing,” Lenox coach Monica Herman said. “Very strong teams, both boys and girls.
“A very young team for the girls. We have mostly freshmen playing. Five of the seven starters are freshmen, which is absolutely amazing. So we have a lot of growth ahead of us on the girls side, which is great.”
Katie Shove earned a straight set win at second singles on Saturday, and Julia Zanin gutted out a three-setter.
Zanin bounced back after dropping the first set to win the second, 6-2. With the match decided, they went to a 10-point tie-breaker, where Mount Greylock’s Amelia Madrigal jumped out to a 5-1 lead before Zanin battled back to take an 11-9 win.
The Lenox doubles teams of Nicky Illingworth/Caroline Kump and Gali Gomez/Reeva Patel each won in straight sets.
In the boys team match, the Millionaires started the day with a lead after an injury forced the Mounties to forfeit the third singles point.
Alexander Kolean got off to a strong start at second singles and went on to a 6-0, 6-3 win.
And, also in straight sets, Lenox earned two doubles points from the tandems of Juan Manrique/Aydan Shove and Devon Smits/Aiden Tran.
First singles was a dogfight, but Alex Fuster came out in a 10-point tie-breaker, 10-6, to take a three-set win.
“It was a really good battle,” Fuster said. “Oscar [Heeringa] is just in eighth grade, and he’s playing everybody right to the ropes. He’s been in really tight matches. He’s a fantastic player.
“It wasn’t a traditional third-set. It was a 10-point tie-breaker. So having the mindset of taking it one point at a time and knowing that if you’re down, 4-0, you still have a chance to come back.”
Mount Greylock’s lone team point on Saturday in either match came from Mia Patrick at first singles.
She took the first set in a tie-break and used the momentum to take the second set with relative ease, winning, 7-6, 6-1, against Rory Lenehan.
Patrick said it was reminiscent, in a way, of the pair’s meeting on April 23, another 4-1 Lenox win where she had the lone point for the Mounties.
“It was actually very similar – the first set I won 6-1, and then the second set went to a tie-breaker,” Patrick said of the April meeting. “Long matches.
“Going into the tie-break [on Saturday] I was really nervous, because I felt like whoever won that would have a big edge in the second set. Because that first set was so long – so many deuce points, rallies.”
Patrick and Lenhan will be among the county contingent heading to the Western Massachusetts individual championships on Sunday morning in Longmeadow.
“I feel good,” Patrick said about the regional tournament. “Tired, but excited to be heading down to face some tough competition at individuals.”
Boys
Singles
No. 1 Alex Fuster, L, def. Oscar Heeringa, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6).
No. 2 Alexander Kolean, L, def. Ed Strolle, 6-0, 6-3.
No. 3 Michael Piretti, L, won by forfeit.
Doubles
No. 1 Juan Manrique/Aydan Shove, L, def. Santiago Galvez/Keaton Repetto, 6-1, 6-0.
No. 2 Devon Smits/Aiden Tran, L, def. Anders Tainter/PeterChampagne, 6-2, 6-3.
Girls
Singles
No. 1 Mia Patrick, MG, def. Rory Lenehan, 7-6, 6-1.
No. 2 Katie Shove, L, def. Emily Oullette, 6-4, 6-2.
No. 3 Julia Zanin, L, def. Amelia Madrigal, 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (11-9).
Doubles
No. 1 Nicky Illingworth/Caroline Kump, L, def. Charlotte Towler/Bridget Igoe, 6-4, 6-3.
No. 2 Gali Gomez/Reeva Patel, L, def. Tiffany Gonzales/Molly Karampotsos, 6-0, 6-2.