Monument Mountain Boys Win Western Mass Tennis Title
LEE, Mass. -- Monument Mountain's Kevin Li earned a dramatic victory at No. 1 singles to clinch a 3-2 win for the Spartans against previously unbeaten Mount Greylock in the Western Massachusetts Division 3 championship on Friday afternoon at Lee High School.
Monument had a 2-1 lead with three matches on the court: second doubles and Li's match against Nyein Soe.
The Mountie tandem of Matt and Aaron Kleiner prevailed in their match, giving the No. 1 singles competitors the undivided attention of both teams and their fans on the hill beside the courts.
Li took a 5-2 lead in the third set, but Seo battled back to tie the set and give Mount Greylock hope. But Li dug in and prevailed, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
"Nyein played great putting himself back in the match battling from being down 2-5 in the third," Mount Greylock coach Stephen Bryant said. "He absolutely fought hard every second of the match. The unforced errors just got him in the end. It's tough playing that type of player. It's like playing a back board where everything comes back."
The Spartans got all their points in singles play.
At No. 2, Monument's Satchel Fisher defeated Will Nolan, 6-2, 6-3. At No. 3, Cam Powell topped Alex Cheung, 6-4, 6-2.
The quickest match of the afternoon was at No. 1 doubles, where Mount Greylock's Gray Kaegi and Jake Foehl finished Kevin Costello and Alec Goffin, 6-1, 6-2.
The Kleiner twins continued Mount Greylock's season-long dominance in doubles with a 7-6, 6-3 win over the team of Isaac Graves and Andrew Rada.
Monument Mountain will play Central Massachusetts champion Whitinsville Christian in the state tournament on Monday at 4:15 at St. John's High School.
While Monument's boys were winning their Western Mass title, the Spartans' girls team was earning a 4-1 victory over Lee up the road in Lenox. Monument's girls will open the state tourney on Monday against Central Mass champion Notre Dame at Western New England College.
More photos from the boys match to come.