Winchester girls complete unbeaten Div. 2 tennis season

WOBURN – Winchester girls tennis coach Greg Lowder wasn’t sure what kind of team he had entering this season.

Now he knows it’s a championship one.

The Sachems capped off an undefeated season by defeating Notre Dame, 4-1, to cart home the Division 2 state title. The victory was extra sweet for Winchester, who reached the final in 2018 and 2019, only to come up short to Martha’s Vineyard.

“It was a tough year this year. We weren’t really sure what to expect from other teams,” Lowder said. “We didn’t have individual state tournaments and we didn’t have last year’s results so we did a lot of Googling. So for us I stressed to the girls there’s only so many things we can control.”

Against Notre Dame, Winchester proved to be proficient in both singles and doubles. Claire Lupien won her match at second singles (6-2, 6-4), while Caroline Fredey also prevailed in straight sets (6-3, 6-0).

The Sachems picked up the deciding point at second doubles as Maddy Buck and Abby Wilson coasted to a 6-1, 6-1. The victory was the coup de grace for Buck and Wilson, who have been solid all season long.

“Maddy and I have been playing tennis together for such a long time,” Wilson said. “Our team worked so hard for this moment.”

Added Buck: “It was so nice to close out the win and it was extra special to be able to do this with (Maddy).”

The fourth point came at first doubles where Caroline Andrews and Olivia DeMichaelis needed three sets to defeat Amelia Maw and Bella La Grassa, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1). Notre Dame (13-1) earned its point at first singles as standout Alex Prudente rolled to an easy win.

“The best part of my group is that amazing as everything feels and we just admitted to each other that it’s still sad that it’s over,” Lowder said. “We had five seniors so it’s easy to keep everyone focused because they care. They’re so good to each other. We’ve had matches that were decided quickly and my girls are still on the baseline cheering their teammates on while they battle it out.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3y55Swy