The Marblehead High boys tennis team (16-4, ninth seed) had to wait a day before playing its Sweet 16 match against host Belmont (13-7, eighth seed) on June 7. Unfortunately, the young Magicians ended up losing to the host team, 5-0, but not before they put up a terrific fight, according to coach Elisabeth Foukal.
“All five matches were close, with two of them going to three sets,” Foukal noted. “Junior Mika Garber was up against the seventh-seeded player in the state (Belmont senior Alek Karagozyan) but still managed to play him evenly up until leg cramps had him struggling to walk. But he nevertheless got up and finished the match, losing in consecutive competitive straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.”
Foukal continued, “Jost Eggebrecht then left it all on the court in second singles after rallying from behind in the second set to win, 7-5. He was trailing at the time, 4-1. But Belmont’s Charlie Osborn rebounded to win the third set, 6-2. He also won the first set, 7-5.”
In third singles, Matthew Sherf faced a very formidable opponent in Julian Wong, and he fought to the very end, only to lose, 6-4, 6-2.
The first doubles team of Etan Farfel and Jayden Janock played their hearts out against senior Ben Packard and junior Ben Trout, only to fall in three sets, according to Foukal. The Marblehead tandem won the first set, 6-3, before losing the second set in a tiebreaker, 9-7, and also the third set, 6-1.
Jimmy King and Leo Winocour played their best second doubles match to date, Foukal said. They were trailing 5-1 in the first set before staging a comeback to tie it at five. They eventually lost that set to Henry Moriarty and Soyam Pakharel, 7-5, followed by the second set, 6-1.
Sophomores Anthony Vizy and Quinn Fletcher recorded a sub-varsity win over their Belmont counterparts, 6-0, the visitors only triumph that day against the Marauders. Sophomores Austin Bacon and Ben Zaltsman lost their sub-varsity match, 6-1.
“Overall, it was a great season, and in this match, I was so proud of how well we competed against Belmont to go along with the sportsmanship we displayed throughout it,” said Foukal.
Foukal’s squad started the postseason with a 5-0 win over Oliver Ames in the Round of 32. Belmont defeated Wakefield by the same score in that same round, and then after beating the Magicians they dropped a 5-0 decision to Duxbury (21-1, top seed) in the Elite 8.
Chieftains complete season sweep
The Marblehead girls tennis team (14-6, 20th seed) fell to Northeastern Conference rival Masconomet (18-0, fourth seed) in its Sweet 16 matchup indoors at Bass River, 5-0, on June 5. The Chieftains were able to beat Marblehead for the third time this season to advance to the Elite 8, where they defeated Minnechaug (17-3, fifth seed), 4-1.
The Magicians began the postseason by edging host Milton (11-6, 13th seed) 3-2 in the Round of 32.
“I’m extremely proud of this team and what they have accomplished,” said coach Tracy Ackerman. “They were able to beat a higher seed in Milton under some stressful circumstances after first singles player Pauline Geissler fainted following her match due to the heat, but then they were able to refocus as a team to get that win.”
Ackerman continued, “They then knew what they were up against in the match against Masco, but they decided the goal was to improve and win more games than they did in their last match against them. For the most part, they accomplished this.”
That allowed the team to finish the season on an upbeat note, according to the coach.
“We now wish Masco all the best in its quest to repeat as state champions,” Ackerman said.
Ackerman commended her team’s sportsmanship throughout the season, calling it “really impressive.”
“In the season-ending match against Masco, they were hugging and congratulating each other for winning a game or two,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Geissler lost to Kendall Skulley in first singles, 0-6, 0-6. Andrea Potvin fell to Nina Klink in second singles, 1-6, 0-6. Charly Cooper dropped a 0-6, 1-6 decision to Teagan Skulley in third singles.
The first doubles team of Courtney Yoder and Aviva Bornstein lost to Shaylee Moreno and Maya Klink, 3-6, 1-6. Aoife Bresnahan and Lucia Levin then lost in second doubles to Chloe Ahern and Tayloe Mastrogiovann, 0-6, 0-6.
