Dreams of a district championship ended for the Bromfield girls tennis team Monday evening, June 11, as an experienced Hopedale squad soundly defeated the Trojans, 5–0, to win the MIAA Central District Division 3 title in an away match at St. John’s High School.
It was the Bromfield girls’ first appearance in the finals since 2012 when they won the district championship and were Division 3 state finalists. For Hopedale, the victory was the team’s fourth district win in four years. In first singles, junior Blue Raider Aimee Figgins, seeded second in the district, dominated Bromfield freshman Leimalia Tratnyek, winning 6–0, 6–0. The first doubles contest, however, was more competitive. Bromfield junior Alex O’Neil and sophomore Olivia Noyes won their first set 6–2 against Hopedale senior Jennie Holland and sophomore Maddie La Prade, seeded second in the district. But they lost their second set 1–6 and were beaten 7–10 in a final tiebreaker.
Abby Zajac runs to return a drop shot. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Arguably the most competitive match of the day—and certainly the longest—was the third singles contest between Bromfield senior Abby Zajac and Hopedale freshman Katelynn Brunt. The first set began shortly after 5 p.m. and an hour and a half later was tied 6–6. Zajac lost the tiebreaker with a forehand shot into the net following a lengthy rally. In the set that followed, the two evenly matched players, both with a preference for the backcourt and ground strokes, battled to a 5–5 tie, which was settled shortly before 7:30 p.m. in a 6–7 tiebreaker won by Brunt. As the sun set, their teammates, bathed in the light of a perfect early summer evening, gathered on the grass outside Court 3 to urge them on.
“Some matches end a little quicker than others,” quipped MIAA official Tim Breen as he presented Bromfield Coach Chris Holmes with the Central District finalist trophy. Hopedale will face West Division 3 champion Lee High School Monday, June 18, at Forest Park in Springfield.
In a postgame interview, Holmes praised his players. “I thought we would have trouble just winning games,” he said, noting that Hopedale had won its last four district championships with virtually the same players. “But boy, we were competitive,” he continued. First doubles played “exactly as I wanted them to play. They were aggressive, they were moving at the net, they were … taking it to their opponents … which they are sometimes hesitant to do.” As for Zajac, Holmes said she played Monday “the way she plays every match.” She’s an athlete and a competitor, he said, “and that means she’s able to compete with anybody.”
Bromfield ended the season undefeated and first in the Mid-Wach League Division D with an 8–0 league record. Three players will not be returning: Zajac, second singles player and team Co-Captain Sarah Moore, and second doubles player Lilly Shaw, all of whom graduated last week. It will be hard to replace them, Holmes said. “But you never know. Someone may appear [to fill their shoes].”
Results
1st singles: Aimee Figgins (H) def. Leimalia Tratnyek (B), 0–6, 0–6
2nd singles: Megan McClellan (H) def. Sarah Moore (B), 1–6, 0–6
3rd singles: Katelynn Brunt (H) def. Abby Zajac (B), 6–7, 5–7 (tiebreaker)
1st doubles: Jennie Holland and Maddie LaPrade (H) def. Alex O’Neil and Olivia Noyes (B), 6–2, 1–6, 10–7 (tiebreaker)
2nd doubles: Mikayla Evans and Rachel Szemethy (H) def. Lilly Shaw and Holly Fisher (B), 2–6, 3–6
The team poses with their district runner-up trophy. Front Row: Sarah Burns, Lilly Shaw, Sarah Moore, Abby Zajac, and Charlotte Foley. Back row: Coach Chris Holmes, Sofia Zhou, Holly Fisher, Leimalia Tratnyek, Alexandra O’Neil, Olivia Noyes, Sara Picariello, Meredith Greayer, and Maria Mykhylyk.
