The unbeaten Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) girls varsity tennis team moved one step closer to a divisional championship by beating Cohasset High School 5-0 in the Division 3 south semifinals on home turf Wednesday afternoon.
The Vineyarders will next face number two seed Ursuline Academy in the Division 3 south finals on Friday, June 10 at 3pm at Old Rochester regional high school in Mattapoisett. If the Vineyarders earn the Division 3 south sectional championship, next stop for them is the state semifinals, followed by the state championships.
The Vineyarders came into Wednesday’s semifinals with a 17-0 record, and Cohasset entered with a 15-4 record, including playoff wins.
As compared with the Island’s very young team, Cohasset had four seniors, two juniors, and one freshman.
First and second singles, played by Kat Roberts and Kelly Klaren, respectively, shellacked their opponents, both quickly winning 6-0, 6-0. Kelly was glad to be off the injured list and back on court after sitting out Monday’s quarterfinal with an ankle injury.
“It felt great,” Kelly told The Times postmatch, referring to her ankle. “She was a really good player, and I think I played consistently for my first match back.” Kelly and her Cohasset opponent, Holly VanEtten, are both freshman.
“It was good,” Kat Roberts told The Times following her win. “We had a lot of good points, but I think I was just more consistent than her.” Kat said she played her opponent Caroline VanEtten, sister to Holly, last year as well: “It was definitely a closer match last year.”
First doubles winning machine Lizzie Williamson and Victoria Scott were back together on Wednesday after having to each play singles on Monday due to Kelly’s injury. Lizzie and Victoria won 6-0, 6-1.
The girls were complimentary of each other postmatch. “Her returns were on fire,” Lizzie told The Times about Victoria. “She had great volleys,” Victoria said of Lizzie.
“We were just kind of playing as one, it was really great to feel a connection with your partner. We just play so well, and all the hard work pays off,” Victoria told The Times.
With the Vineyarders taking three courts in rapid fashion, the match was essentially over, even with third singles and second doubles still on court. The remaining two courts were much more competitive matches, and were hard-fought on both sides of the nets. Camilla Prata pulled off a tight second set and won her match 6-3, 7-5.
“It was hard trying not to hit it to her forehand, because she had a really strong forehand,” Camilla told The Times after her victory.
Not to be outdone, five minutes later second doubles finished their close match and won in a tiebreaker, 4-6, 7-6, 11-9.
For the second doubles match, because MVRHS had technically already won the semifinal match and advanced to the finals, with split sets, a 10-point tiebreaker was played to get the match finished more quickly, rather than playing a third set.
“We’re elated,” Coach Nina Bramhall told The Times after the big semifinal win was complete. “It was really exciting, and it was well-contested. They were all good matches, but those last two were compelling and hard-fought,” she said.
Monday win
The Wednesday match followed a Monday afternoon 5-0 victory against ninth seed Carver High School (10-7 record) in the MIAA division 3 south quarterfinals.
“I don’t think we dropped one singles match,” Victoria Scott’s father, Chris Scott, told The Times after the Monday match in a reference to all the singles ladies — Kelly Klaren, Kat Roberts, and Camilla Prata — undefeated on the season. “It’s Vineyard Youth Tennis, it’s such a great program. A lot of these girls are single-sport athletes and they play year round, so they’re very good.”
Asked about her first year on the team as a freshman, a beaming Victoria Scott said: “Oh it’s been incredible. The other girls have been so welcoming and I’ve been looking forward to it since I was in sixth grade. It’s just been really fun.”
“My partner and I we’re really great together,” sophomore Lizzie Williamson said referring to her normal spot at first doubles with freshman Victoria Scott. “I think it’s fun to play a few singles matches here and there, you get a little more movement and doubles is a little more strategy – it’s nice to keep up the skills in both.”
Doubles champs
Against the backdrop of the MIAA team competition, first doubles team Lizzie Williamson and Victoria Scott are in the midst of the MIAA Individual Tennis tournament. They have already been crowned the division 3 south champions for individual play as a doubles team. Next Lizzie and Victoria begin the MIAA state individual tournament June 18 and they will be competing against the west, north, and central for a shot at an individual state championship title as a doubles team.
“That’s never happened in MVRHS before,” Ms. Bramhall said.
“It’s a big deal,” said VYT executive director Scott Smith. “If they win one round, they play for the finals for the whole state of Massachusetts for individual accomplishments.”
“They were in Montessori together at age three and playing tennis together since they were six, so it’s really kind of cool,” Mr. Scott said Monday.
Credit to Youth Tennis program
“There is so much to say really,” MVRHS athletic director Mark McCarthy told The Times Monday afternoon. “To have a team go 22 and 0 and win a state championship (in 2015) and then graduate three of their better players from a team, then come in the next year – which is this year – and go 16 and 0 in the regular season and probably be the favorite to win the state championship again, you know, that says a lot for a variety of things.”
“One is the quality of tennis that is being put out,” continued Mr. McCarthy, “and really that has to do with the Vineyard Youth Tennis Center (VYT), with kids starting early and working hard and being able to play year-round. You’ve got to give the Vineyard Youth Tennis Center a lot of credit for the success of the high school program.”
Coach Nina Bramhall coached at VYT for seven years, along with head tennis pro Mike Halisky and VYT executive director Scott Smith, who both celebrate ten years at VYT this summer.
“This year’s team is very young,” said Mr. McCarthy. “The number one (singles) is a freshman, the number two is a sophomore, the number three is a junior and the number one doubles are a freshman and sophomore – so you’re looking at the next few years they will be a team to be reckoned with.”
“Nina and Liz do a great job with the girls they work them hard,” said Mr. McCarthy. “With tennis it’s coming in with the skills but the coaches have to be able to put the team together, manage the kids, work on different things and techniques. Liz and Nina do a great job with that.”
“Well, we’re always excited,” said VYT director Scott Smith. “We just don’t want to look too far ahead, just one match at a time and of course we’ve had some injuries, so hopefully the injuries hold off or get better,” said Mr. Smith. “Hopefully they’re healthy for the whole playoff run.”
First singles player and freshman Kelly Klaren missed Monday’s quarterfinals due to an ankle injury and Madison McBride has also been out sick.
