Mount Greylock Girls Reach State Quarter-Finals
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- After seeing her opponent battle back from a 5-2 deficit in the second set at third singles on Friday, Mount Greylock's Charlotte Holubar regrouped.
"I think I saw that she was fighting back and pushing, and I think that motivated me," Holubar said. "I made a lot of [unforced] errors, so I kind of self-reflected on what I could do to fix that, and I loosened back up.
"I think that helped me win that last game."
She won the last two games in a row to earn a 7-5, 7-5 win that clinched a 3-2 Mount Greylock win over Ipswich in the Division 4 State Tournament Round of 16.
The Mounties swept the singles points at Bousquet Sport in a match moved indoor due to concern about both potential air quality issues and the threat of rain.
With just three courts available for the match, the three singles matches went out first.
And after Mai O'Connor and Mia Patrick cruised to relatively easy straight-set wins at first and second singles, respectively, that left Holubar with a chance to put the match out of reach as the doubles matches got underway on courts 1 and 2.
After winning three straight games to win the first set, Holubar stormed out to a 5-2 lead in the second set and appeared ready to put the team competition away early.
But Ipswich's Tess O'Flynn fought back to tie it before Holubar was able to right the ship, ending the match on a service winner.
"I knew that our advantage was in the singles," Mount Greylock coach John Jacobbe said. "So we got those three out first. Mai and Mia have been strong all year, and Charlotte's a really good third singles player.
"My gut was telling me it would come down to that match, and it did. First doubles and second doubles are still out there, so we'll see how that plays out. But it's nice to not have to sweat it out."
With the pressure of the team compeition off, Ipswich picked up both doubles points in straight set wins.
But it is Mount Greylock (16-3) that moves on to Sunday's match at third-seeded Lynnfield (14-6), a 4-1 winner of Lee in the Round of 16.
It will be a relatively fast turnaround for the Mounties, who Friday played their first competitive match since falling to Lee, 3-2, in the semi-finals of the Western Massachusetts Class C tourney on May 23.
Mount Greylock's first round opponent in the state tourney forfeited. And the Sweet 16 match with Ipswich, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was moved to Friday due to weather, creating a 16-day break between matches.
"I don't like the layoff or the delays, but I knew my girls would handle it," Jacobbe said. "They don't overthink things like coaches do sometimes. They just go out and play.
"I knew we had to get going. It was different being indoors, and I think that helped some of our players. ... I think we handled the challenges ahead of us. With the long layoff, I think it affects doubles more because doubles is more team oriented."
Singles
No. 1 Mai O'Connor, MG, def. Clair Buletza, 6-1, 6-3.
No. 2. Mia Patrick, MG, def. Abbie Allen, 6-0, 6-2.
No. 3 Charlotte Holubar, MG, def. Tess O'Flynn, 7-5, 7-5.
Doubles
No. 1 Norah Hickey/Lila Borgman, I, def. Clarissa Louis/Effie Skinner, 6-4, 6-2.
No. 2 Frannie Hertz/Maggie McCormick, I, def. Beatrice Pedroni/Charlotte Towler, 6-0, 6-2.