The girls tennis team silenced the rackets of the No. 7 seed Ipswich Tigers 4-1 at home June 5 to win a spot among the final four in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 4 state championship. It’s the first time the girls have advanced to the semifinals since 2012, according to coach Chris Holmes.
With second singles player Khivi Nanra sidelined by an injury, senior Cassidy Fisher stepped up to battle Tiger Abbie Allen. It was the match of the evening, played without lights as the sun sank below the horizon and ending two hours and 20 minutes later. Fisher won the first set, but the players were tied 5-5 in the second set. Then Fisher broke Allen’s service to edge ahead 6-5 but fell behind in the next game before pulling ahead on her seventh serve. As FIsher battled for match point, the crowd fell silent, bursting into applause as she ended the match, 7-5 after winning her final two serves.
After stepping up to play second singles, Cassidy Fisher returns a shot late in her match in her win over Abbie Allen of Ipswich. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Elsewhere in the lineup, sophomore Meghna Nambiar moved up the first doubles to replace Fisher, and senior Caroline Ells joined second doubles to replace Nambiar.
The first doubles match got a late start and the two teams were tied 4-4 in their first set as second singles ended. With Bromfield already the 3-1 victor, the players and coaches agreed to award the match to the first team to win eight games. Twenty minutes later, senior Nina Iverson and Nambiar walked off their court with an 8-4 victory, topping off the team’s 4-1 victory.
Afterward, with court lights on, Bromfield Athletic Director Dave Boisvert presented Holmes and the teams with a final four trophy and banner, while parents and fans gathered around them to snap photos before heading home.
“The girls really came ready to play against Ipswich,” said Holmes after the match. “I thought they played as well as they have all year.” Holmes described the match as stressful. There were plenty of fans on the sidelines from both Bromfield and Ipswich, whose cries of“ Good shot” or “Well played” added to the excitement of the match.
“Cassidy Fisher did a great job of closing the match out at second singles,” said Holmes. It was also impressive that Nina and Meghna won their match, he added, “albeit in shortened fashion,” against an Ipswich team that was undefeated with a season record of 15-0.
“I am pretty sure the girls are ready for the next round. We will see what they can do,” Holmes later wrote the Press.
As this article was being written, the girls were preparing for their semifinal match against No. 6 seed Manchester Essex Regional at St. Johns in Shrewsbury, June 11, at 1 p.m. Check the online edition of the Harvard Press for results.
In their first time paired as first doubles, Meghna Nambiar (above) and Nina Iverson (below) defeat Ipswich’s first doubles team of Lila Borgman and Sophi Johanneckt who had previously been undefeated.
MIAA Division 4 Girls Tennis State Tournament quarterfinal, June 5
- First singles: Michelle Xu defeated Claire Buletza from Ipswich, 6-0, 6-0
- Second singles: Cassidy Fisher defeated Abbie Allen from Ipswich, 6-0, 7-5
- Third singles: Emily Hannibal from Ipswich defeated Louise Tatarev, 6-4, 6-2
- First doubles: Nina Iverson and Meghna Nambiar defeated Lila Borgman and Sophi Johanneckt from Ipswich, 8-4 (Best of eight)
- Second doubles: Zariya Ali and Caroline Ells defeated Alex Marino and Frannie Hertz from Ipswich, 6-3, 6-1
