The Bromfield girls tennis team advanced to the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 4 State Quarterfinals on Tuesday night with a hard fought 3-2 victory over Quaboag Regional.
The team had advanced to the round of 16 last week with a 3-0 win against Blackstone-Millville Regional in round 1 of the tournament. With this latest win, the team record is 14-3. The team plays out of the Midland Wachusett A League which, according to Coach Chris Holmes, traditionally has the strongest tennis programs in Central Massachusetts. The combination of a competitive schedule and winning record earned the girls second seed in the Division 4 tournament.
Third singles player Luise Tatarev watches the ball as she returns a shallow shot. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz
“As has been the case the last several years, the Bromfield girls have benefitted from great team depth,” Holmes wrote to the Press in a postmatch email. In Tuesday’s match both the Bromfield first doubles and second doubles teams won easily. Senior captains Cassidy Fisher and Nina Iverson won 6-0, 6-1 at first doubles, and senior captain Zariya Ali and sophomore Meghna Nambiar won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles. Fisher and Iverson are 9-2 for the season, all at first doubles. Ali and Nambiar are 7-2, all at second doubles.
Quaboag had three very strong singles players, all three of whom are seniors and have been playing successfully at the varsity level since seventh grade, according to Holmes, and it was in the singles matches that the contest grew competitive.
At third singles, freshman Luise Tatarev was defeated 6-3, 6-1 by Nora Pennigton Russell. At second singles, junior Khivi Nanra and Quaboag’s Erin McGrath were locked in a very physical, and very well played, match when Nanra was forced to retire with severe leg cramps. Nanra had lost the first set 6-4 but was up 5-4 in the second set when the cramps developed. Her retirement left Bromfield and Quaboag tied at two matches apiece, which meant the match would be determined at first singles, where two of the best players in Central Mass, sophomore Michelle Xu for Bromfield and senior Isabelle Aberle for Quaboag were locked in an epic battle.
Second doubles players and seniors Caroline Ells (left) and her partner Camille Bradley on the way to winning their match against Blackstone-Millville.
According to Holmes, the two had met twice before, once last year when Xu prevailed in three sets, knocking Aberle from the undefeated ranks in her final match of the season, and earlier this season where Xu won in straight sets when Aberle was not fully healthy. Both, however, were at their best on Tuesday.
The match lasted four hours and 45 minutes, with Xu prevailing 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 shortly before 9 p.m. Both players are strong baseline players, and their rallies frequently went to double digits, but Aberle showed a readiness to volley that challenged Xu on occasion with well-placed crosscourt shots and forced errors.
By the time the match ended, the court lights were on and the mosquitos were out. “Xu has been a dominant force this season and is arguably the best player in Central Mass.,” Holmes said. She is 14-1 inside Central Mass. Her only Central Massachusetts loss was against the No. 1 player from Westborough. Xu beat the same girl 6-2, 6-2 the second time they played.
In the quarterfinals, Bromfield was scheduled to play seventh- seeded Ipswich June 5. The Bromfield team has made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament the past three years, losing a very close match last season to state runner-up Lynnfield 3-2. “Perhaps, with some good play against Ipswich, they will be able to advance to the semifinals, and beyond, for the first time in many years,” said Holmes.
MIAA Division 4, round of 16, June 3
- First singles: Michelle Xu defeated Isabelle Aberle from Quaboag 7-5, 6-7 (6-8 in the tiebreaker), 6-3
- Second singles: Erin McGrath from Quaboag defeated Khivi Nanra 6-4, 4-5 (retired due to injury)
- Third singles: Nora Pennington-Russell from Quaboag defeated Luise Tatarev 6-3, 6-1
- First doubles: Cassidy Fisher and Nina Iverson defeated Lila Broadley and Norah Schwenker from Quaboag 6-0, 6-1
- Second doubles: Zariya Ali and Meghna Nambiar defeated Skylar Cook and Lyndie Miller from Quaboag 6-1, 6-0
