And they are dancing.
The Lynnfield girls tennis team pulled out a 3-2 win on June 5 over visiting Bromfield to punch its ticket to the Division 4 Final Four. The Pioneers were scheduled to play archrival Manchester-Essex Wednesday at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Prep (results too late to print).
The match took more than three-and-one-half hours before “Marathon” Maddie Sieve finally put her third singles match away in a three-set tiebreaker, 3-6, 6-3,7-6 (7-5) by the narrowest of margins – two points.
Stone said the day was about as nerve wracking as he’s ever seen.
“Truthfully, this is the kind of match I would have rather been playing than watching,” Stone said. “It was a great match. The level of play on the court, and the energy and enthusiasm from the crowd (supporting both the boys and girls’ teams) and the teammates off the court made for an awesome atmosphere. With the match tied 2-2, you could feel the drama and anxiety build, fortunately we – and Maddie – came out on top.”
Junior captain Paige Martino had no trouble defeating Michelle Xu, 6-2, 6-3 in the first singles match. In the second singles match, junior Lily Alves also had an easy time of it, defeating Abigail Ames 6-1, 6-3, putting the Pioneers on top, 2-0.
“Both girls in the first singles match traded penetrating groundstrokes and forceful first serves with Paige in command during both sets,” Stone said. “Lily’s match was highlighted with many long rallies with each player trying to out steady the other. Lily, however, was also able to move her opponent around with direction, pace and spin and led the entire way.”
The doubles matches were a totally different story. Sophomore Vicky McCrann and freshman Emma Wagon lost the second doubles match to Nora Clarke and Nina Iverson in straight sets, 5-7, 2-6 to make it a 2-1 game. McCrann/Wagon started strong and were up 5-1 in the first set, but Broomfield shifted gears and limited their errors en route to the win.
Senior captain Leticia Marafon and junior Ella Hayman fell to Cassie Fisher and Khivi Nanra, 2-6, 7-5, 4-6 at first doubles to knot the team score at 2-2. Marafon/Hayman were down 4-5 in the second, but rallied to win the second set 7-5. The match was tied 3-3 in the third set. The duo was still within striking distance, trailing 4-5, but couldn’t pull it out.
With the Pioneers’ fate in the hands of senior captain Maddie Sieve, all eyes were on court three where she battled for more than three hours, up to an hour as the only girls’ match on the court. Adding to the drama for the large crowd lining the perimeter of the courts was the fact that the boys’ team, leading 2-1, still had two matches still in the balance. A huge roar erupted when Sieve won the final point to complete a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) victory.
“Overall, it was definitely good competition from this team (Bromfield) and was definitely more than what we expected,” Martino said. “But everyone comes out trying as hard as they possibly can, especially at tournament time, but we all put our best foot forward and it paid off in the end.”
Marafon credited Stone for guiding the team and providing ongoing support.
“Overall we did an amazing job,” Marafon said. “I am incredibly proud of everyone on the court and off the court. The support we got was incredible. And I have to thank Coach Stone as he is an incredible coach. None of us would be here without him. Just seeing him on the sideline cheering for us and giving us direction is really helpful. We definitely saw a lot of tennis today.”
Lynnfield 5
Leicester 0
In a boy-girl doubleheader at the high school, the Pioneers cruised to a shutout win in straight sets at home on June 4 in the Elite Eight. Martino (first singles) and Sieve (third singles) won their matches at love 6-0, 6-0 and Alves took the second singles match 6-2, 6-1. Marafon/Hayman won at first doubles 6-1, 6-1 and McCrann/Wagon won at second doubles, 6-2, 6-0.
Stone said Alves’s match was much closer than the score indicated.
“Lily had the most competitive match with many long rallies and deuce games. But, as has been the case all season, when the going gets tough Lily gets going and comes up big at the right time,” Stone said. “Doubles, also, held the competitive edge holding serve at will and dominating with their net play. It was a great opportunity for LHS to highlight their boy’s and girl’s tennis with both playing at the same, and the crowd getting to appreciate the level of play of both teams.”
