The Pioneers’ girls tennis team made it five straight Monday with a 5-0 sweep at North Reading.
Paige Martino defeated Althea Bradley at first singles, 6-0, 6-2. In the second singles match, Lily Alves also won in straight sets, defeating Matilda Ton, 6-3, 6-3. Vicky McCrann and Shenaya Verma split the first two sets, 6-1, 3-6 with McCrann dominating a 10-point tie-breaker 10-2 to clinch the match.
Lynnfield swept both doubles matches in straight sets. Ella Hayman and Kami Khiat defeated Addison Stetson and Mary Doble at first doubles, 6-2, 6-1, while Kathleen Brown and Emma Wagon defeated Anya Tenaja and Karina Mountain in the second doubles match, 6-2, 6-3.
Lynnfield 5
Beverly 0
In a non-league match, the Pioneers avenged their 2024 4-1 loss to the Panthers, who returned all five starters, in dominating fashion with a sweep at home.
Martino set the tone early with a 6-0, 6-3 win at first singles. Alves turned the tables in the second singles match with a 6-2, 6-2 win, defeating an opponent she lost to last year in a three-set marathon. McCrann completed the singles sweep with a 6-4, 6-0 win at third singles.
“Paige dominated from start to finish and was back to being the first match finished, hitting topspin winners off the forehand and backhand,” Stone said. “Lily won the rematch from last year. What a difference a year can make. Her match was finished in half the time, which demonstrates the effect working in the off seasons can have. Vicky edged out a first-set win, then won the next six games, dominating in all aspects of the game.”
The first doubles team of Hayman/Khiat split the first two sets, 6-3, 3-6, and clinched the match with an 11-9 win in a 10-point tiebreaker. The duo was down 4-6 and rallied to tie the match at 9-9, then won the final two points to take it.
“It was a battle of adjustments throughout the match, with Lynnfield showcasing their flexibility in alignment and strategy,” Stone said.
The second doubles team of Brown/Christine Choi also played a tight first set, then led from start to finish in the second set to win the match, 6-4, 6-2.
“This freshmen pair shows both poise and power,” Stone said. “Impressive play all around. We are off to a good start. Except for Paige and Lily, the rest of the team is in a new position or playing with a new partner, and everyone is meeting the new challenge with a positive attitude and a willingness to embrace the concept of TEAM (Together Each Achieves More).
“It was a good win over a good team. All matches were competitive and everyone was able to come away learning a little bit more about themselves and what they need to work on to improve.”
Lynnfield 4
Ipswich 1
In a match described by Stone as “competitive across the board,” the Pioneers made it three straight with a road win over the Tigers.
“Ipswich is a very good team,” Stone said. “They traditionally reach the Elite 8 in state tournament play. We need to have competitive matches like this throughout the season to be ready for tournament play as well.”
The Pioneers swept the singles matches with Martino winning at first singles 6-3, 6-2, Alves winning at second singles 6-2, 6-3 and Kiat coming from behind to take the third singles match 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.
“Both Paige and Lily had similar types of matches with their opponents playing them even throughout the first half of each set, but the Pioneer pair each pulled away towards the end for straight set wins,” Stone said. “Paige controlled baseline play with topspin groundstrokes, while Lily combined topspin and slice to control the pace of play.
“Kami settled down to win her first career three-set match by creating offense using depth and direction on her strokes.”
The doubles teams’ split with Hayman/McCrann dropping the first doubles match, 1-6, 5-7, and Fiona Asad and Nandana Nishanth taking the second doubles match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
“First doubles started slowly and had some difficulty handling the pace of play, but played their opponents even in the second with the lead see-sawing back and forth until Ipswich broke serve for the win,” Stone said. “Second doubles made their 2025 debut. Both players earned varsity letters last year and had a tight match although leading in both sets all the way.”
