With the regular season winding down, the Marblehead High girls tennis team (9-6) played four matches in six days, and ended up with split results. These Magicians are 19 th in the Division 2 power rankings, as of May 14.
On Saturday, May 11, non-league Newburyport defeated its Marblehead visitors, 4-1. The Magicians secured their lone point in first doubles, when Lucia Levin and Lani Gilmore teamed up to win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
Third singles player Sami Dosch almost pulled off an upset, only to lose in three competitive sets, 2-6, 7-6, 5-7. Maddie Conlon (first) and Aviva Bornstein (second) came up short in their singles matches. The second doubles team of Reese Friedman and Nina Johnson lost in straight sets.
“Newburyport is clearly a very talented team,” said coach Tracy Ackerman. “Our first doubles team (Levin and Gilmore) stayed consistent and aggressive to come out on top, and for the second time in the same week (Dosch) lost a super close match that could have gone either way.”
Two days later, they bounced back to shutdown visiting Peabody on Senior Day, 5-0.
“It was a perfect tennis weather day, and it was also super special that we got to celebrate our six seniors on their day, along with Peabody’s as well,” said Ackerman. “As a coach, it was great to see the sportsmanship shown by both teams during the match, and their mutual admiration for the seniors on both teams. It epitomizes what playing high school tennis is all about.”
Conlon won her first singles match, 6-3, 6-4. Bornstein experienced similar results in second singles, 6-2, 6-1. Dosch maintained the trend in third singles, 6-2, 6-1.
The senior dynamic duo of Aoife Bresnahan and Levin remained undefeated in conference doubles play, 6-1, 6-1. Gilmore and Friedman came out on top in second doubles, 6-2, 6-1.
The Marblehead girls also shutout host Swampscott the next day, 5-0.
Conlon established the winning trend in first singles, 6-2, 6-1. Bornstein was victorious in second singles, 6-4, 6-0. Dosch dominated her third singles foe, 6-0, 6-1.
Bresnahan and Levin kept on winning in first doubles, 6-1, 6-3. Friedman and Gilmore completed this sweep in second doubles, 6-2, 6-3.
Playing their third match in as many days, the Magicians dropped a 4-1 decision to host Masco in Boxford.
Conlon lost in first singles, 0-6, 0-6. Bornstein won a point, but still ended up losing her second singles match, 6-1, 6-0. Dosch fought hard in third singles, before losing, 6-3, 6-4.
The first doubles team of Levin and Bresnahan came up short in a very competitive match, 6-2, 3-6, (8-10 in super tiebreaker). Friedman and Gilmore earned the lone Marblehead win in second doubles, 6-7, 6-1, (10-8 super tiebreaker).
Boys team secures 12th win
On a warm day in May, the Marblehead High boys tennis team (9-0 in the Northeastern Conference, 12-3 overall) beat a very formidable Swampscott team, 4-1. They are ranked eighth in Division 2, as of May 14.
Senior captain Mika Garber lost to Swampscott’s Charles Schepens in first singles, 6-1, 6-2. “Mika has been nursing a tight hamstring (for a week), and so his mobility was hampered, but (he kept it to himself),” said coach Elisabeth Foukal.
Junior captain Etan Farfel defeated Swampscott’s Maxim Zeissig in second singles, 6-1, 6-1. Sophomore T.J. Kelly beat Lucas Breed in third singles, 7-5, 5-7, 6-4. “This was a very close match, with T.J. coming up with the winning shots at key points,” said Foukal.
Junior captain Jayden Janock and classmate Leo Winocour handed Nick Custer and Trevor Telebian their first defeat this spring in first doubles, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4).
Junior Austin Bacon and freshman Ty Cooper upended Julian Flacke and Victoria Zeissig in second doubles, 6-3, 6-1.
In sub-varsity play, Quinn Fletcher and Ben Zaltsman won, 6-4. Alex Boehning and Filip Wabno came out on top, 6-4. Quinn Sullivan and Graydon Waller also enjoyed success, 6-0. Nico Altonian and Andrew Halvorson did the same, 4-1. Jeffrey Kucharsky and Caleb Sidman teamed up to win, 6-1.
The very next day on May 15, the Marblehead boys pulled off a win against host Masconomet, 4-1.
“Kudos to our second doubles team of junior Quinn Fletcher and freshman Alex Boehning for their come-from-behind three set decisive win over a seasoned (Masco) team,” said Foukal.
Garber shutout Jack Eaton in first singles, 6-0, 6-0. Farfel topped Mark Trull in second singles, 6-3, 6-1.
Kelly lost to Kai Hird, a tough competitor, in third singles, 6-3, 6-3.
Janock and Winocour combined to beat Parker Kurtz and Arjun Shreyakan in first doubles, 6-2, 6-3. The aforementioned Fletcher and Boehning took care of Jacob Miller and Alex O’Brien, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2.
In sub-varsity play, Bacon and Cooper won, 7-5. Ben Zaltsman and Filip Wabno were also victorious, 7-6 (8-6).
