The Lynnfield girls tennis team is heading back to the Final Four for a second straight year, thanks to a narrow 3-2 win over Bromfield on June 5.
For three-and-a-half hours, the match was chock full of do-or-die moments. Fittingly, it was senior captain Maddie Sieve who, with nearly 100 people crowded around the new tennis court complex watching with bated breath, finally closed out her third singles match with a third-set tiebreaker to secure the match-winning point.
While it wasn’t easy, the truth is Sieve had a little help from a friend – her mother Sharla Sieve, who died in 2022 from cancer. Sharla Sieve was a former tennis standout at Lynnfield High, playing for Craig Stone. She also played Division 1 tennis at Seton Hall University.
“Before the tiebreaker, I talked to my mom. Tennis was our thing. I told my mom, ‘Mom, I know you are here with me. Please help me get through this. Please help me win this for my team,” Maddie Sieve said. “That’s exactly what she did. This whole match was just so important to me and to make it out with this trophy with my friends is incredible.”
Sieve’s opponent, Louise Tatarev, took the first set, 6-3, but Sieve pulled even at one set each with a 6-3 in the second set. The third set was a nail-biter. Sieve trailed 4-5 in the set, but rallied to win two of the next three games to force a tiebreaker. She jumped out to a 6-3 lead only to lose the next two points to lead by one, 6-5, but she closed out the match with a deep cross-court shot that forced a long ball from Tatarev to close out the match.
The second Sieve realized the shot was long, she immediately went to Coach Stone.
“As soon as I saw her shot was long, I went to him on the fence and just said, ‘Coach Stone, I did it. I did it,'” she said. “It was so close all the way, especially the third set. In the tie breaker, I gained some momentum, but then she came right back. I’m not going to lie; I was getting nervous.”
“She had a huge angel on her shoulder, Sharla has been present with Maddie. They were very close,” Stone said. “After the match, I told her your mom would have been proud of you win or lose but she’s smiling down on you.”
Junior captain Paige Martino said she could not be more proud of Sieve.
“It was so nerve-wracking and I was pacing the courts, But hearing her talk about her mom as I knew this meant so much to them, I couldn’t be happier for her and I am so proud of what she did. It was so well-deserved and fitting,” Martino said. “I know her mom is looking down on her and is so proud of her.”
As emotional as the day turned out to be, Sieve said there is more tennis to be played.
“We’re not done yet, we’re not done yet,” she said.
