Mounties Advance to Tennis Semi-final
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- With his team needing a win from him to extend a perfect season, Mount Greylock's Nyein Soe knew his own play was not quite perfect.
But Soe dug deep and finished out a 6-0, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles that clinched an eventual 4-1 win for the Mounties over Monument Mountain in the Western Massachusetts Division 3 quarter-finals.
It looked for a while like Soe was going to cruise past the Spartans' Kadin Shafiroff. After bageling his opponent in the first set, Soe jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the second.
Then he hit a rough patch.
"I kind of collapsed at the end," Soe said. "I just stopped going for the shots. I either got nervous or took it too lightly at the end.
"I'm glad I pulled it out because I was playing pretty well for most of the match. ... I just started going for my shots again. The previous two games, I just held back on my shots and started playing more conservatively. But then I forgot about the few errors I had made and went for it again."
"Going for it" was key for Mount Greylock's No. 1 doubles combination of Gray Kaegi and Jake Foehl, who earned a solid 6-1, 6-1 win over Trevor DeRis and Jack White.
"We both have pretty big first serves," Foehl said. "We use that as one of our biggest offensive weapons. I think I was broken once today, which doesn't feel good to get broken on your serve.
"When you can rip those first serves in, that's when we're playing our best."
Mount Greylock also got a win at No. 2 doubles, where Matt Wiseman and Brady Foehl finished their 6-1, 7-5 victory moments after Soe clinched the team win and a 17-0 record for the Mounties.
At No. 2 singles, Mount Greylock's Will Nolan also won, 6-1, 6-1.
The Spartans (9-7) got their point at No. 3 singles, where Alec Goffin defeated Sam Dils, 6-1, 6-1.
For the Mounties, Friday's match was the first since wrapping up the regular season with a win over the same Monument Mountain squad on May 26. Jake Foehl said the nine-day layoff did not bother Mount Greylock.
"We play each other every day, which is good enough competition for us," he said. "Especially [Wiseman and Brady Foehl]. They've come a long way this season."