The big question for the girls tennis team this spring: Can it top the Cinderella-like season it had last year when the Pioneers reached the final of the MIAA Division 4 state tournament?
According to Craig Stone, now in his 44th season as head coach, anything can happen.
After all, it did last year.
The Pioneers (12-6) were the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Division 4 state tournament behind No. 1 Hamilton-Wenham and No.2 Manchester-Essex.
After coasting to 5-0 wins against Winthrop and Leicester in the first two rounds, the action – or, better said, the drama – ramped up in the Elite Eight with a nearly four-hour 3-2 thriller against Bromfield. Senior captain “Marathon” Maddie Sieve clinched the match-winning point by the narrowest of margins – two points in a three-set tiebreaker at third singles.
Sieve gave a repeat performance in the Pioneers’ 3-2 win over archrival Manchester-Essex, coming back from an 0-1 one-set deficit to secure the match winner and punch the Pioneers’ ticket to the championship match. The wild ride ended against a loaded Generals’ squad, which cruised to a 5-0 win en route to its third consecutive state title.
The good news for the Pioneers is they lost only two players to graduation in captains Leticia Marafon, who started at first doubles with Ella Hayman, and Sieve. More good news is a strong turnout with 31 players expected at tryouts, which were rained out Monday.
This year’s team will be led by senior captains Hayman and Paige Martino, as well as junior captain Lily Alves.
For a fourth straight season, the Pioneers will look to Martino to top the lineup at first singles. She finished 22-3 last year, earning Cape Ann League Player of the Year honors in the Kinney Division and was also a Daily Item All-Star.
“It’s always nice when you can get a freshman to come in and keep everyone intact for four years,” Stone said. “Paige has been a standout since her freshman year. She has a competitive background and has been mature beyond her years. She has a great perspective and is a great role model on and off the court and, because of her personality, players are easily drawn to her.”
Alves, who also earned Daily Item All-Star honors, likely returns at second singles, where she compiled a 20-4 record last year in just her third year of playing the sport.
“As a coach, there are these stories along the way that stand out and Lily’s is one of them as she may not have been in this position had she not been able to play contact sports anymore due to concussions,” Stone said. “She showed up in one of my summer group lessons and I asked her what she was doing in the spring and said, ‘You should play tennis.’ She has a great attitude and is a good athlete with great court-sense and is coming into the season having played all summer and winter.”
Hayman, who played first doubles with Marafon last year, may be in the mix to move up to the third singles spot.
“We might need to do a little reshuffling,” Stone said. “Ella has a nice complimentary game and has a good head on her shoulders with a lot of versatility,” Stone said. “She can pound groundstrokes with a good volley and net presence and, as a partner, when you play with her, you feel good on the court.
“The good news is Paige and Lily are a formidable one and two in singles, so we have to wait and see who steps up. Ella and Vicky may move up to third singles, but they also could be together at first doubles. In that case, we’ll be looking for someone to jump in at third singles.”
Other returning starters are junior Victoria McCrann and sophomore Emma Wagon, who manned the second doubles position last year. Seniors Bella Ngyuen and Parminder Saini, Fiona Asad, and junior Nandana Nishantha saw limited varsity time last year, but are expected to return.
The Pioneers have a challenging non-league schedule, They open the season April 2 at home against North Andover, followed by an away match against Swampscott on April 10 and a home match against Danvers on April 17. Lynnfield closes out the regular season at home against Marblehead on May 21.
“All five non-league opponents were tourney teams last year, and did really well in their own conferences,” Stone said.
Stone said he has only one goal going into any season – be it tennis or wrestling.
“Our only goal is to make every season a positive experience for everyone,” he said. “We train, compete, and get feedback. That’s what we did last year with our early losses and the players learned how to take it to the next level. We always adjust team goals along the way and kids also have individual goals.”
