The Bromfield girls tennis team suffered its first loss of the season in a home match against Groton-Dunstable on Thursday, April 28, leaving with a 3–2 score. The close loss left the team with a 6–1 record, ending their undefeated 6–0 streak. The matches last week, including one on Wednesday, April 27, against West Boylston, may have been the toughest so far for the new team, with three new players out of the seven being either sophomores or freshmen. Coach Chris Holmes remarked, “Last week’s matches, the 5–0 win against West Boylston and the 3–2 loss to Groton-Dunstable, were our first real tests this season. We passed the first one but not the second.”
The match against West Boylston was a straightforward win, with Trojan players winning their matches in straight sets. Bromfield girls left with another 5–0 win and solidified their number-one standing in the league.
Groton-Dunstable a tough opponent
In the Groton-Dunstable match, most of the games were very close. During first singles, junior Lisa Jorgensen played her best match of the season against Maggie Wertheimer, a strong player with a lot of experience. When Jorgensen was down 4–5 in the third set after winning the first set 6–3 and then losing the second set 3–6, she managed to win the game 7–5. Trojan sophomore Sarah Moore, playing her third high school singles match, was outplayed by a four-year veteran in second singles. In third singles, senior Allie Wei had a tough opponent who did not make many mistakes, which made all the difference. Juniors Ariel Jones-Mollod and Isabelle Quinn had a nice win at first doubles, taking two straight sets, although the first set was a close one, with a 7–6 final score. They both adjusted smoothly to the situation and controlled the net better than their opponents.
With two matches won and two matches lost against Groton, the deciding match was the second doubles, with first-year varsity players sophomore Sophia MacLean and freshman Alex O’Neil. They started tentatively and did not move as well as they usually do because of the intense pressure. The first set was lost 2–6. They were behind 2–5 in the second set and the situation looked bleak.
MacLean and O’Neil regained their footing, however, and the next four games were theirs. The score rose to 6–5, advantage Bromfield, but then the girls from Groton-Dunstable made their own comeback, winning the next game. That victory tied the set, forcing a 12-point tiebreaker game. MacLean and O’Neil fought off several match points but fell behind. With the game score at 3–6, they fought back and won the next four games, reaching set point at 7–6. But Groton-Dunstable didn’t give up and won the next points, winning the tiebreaker game, 8-6, and thereby winning the two sets and the match.
In spite of the loss, Bromfield girls still have a 6–0 league record after playing every team in the league (Groton-Dunstable is not in the same league) and are the favorite this year to win the Wachusett C League championship.
Bromfield Girls Results
West Boylston, Wednesday, April 27
- 1st singles: Lisa Jorgensen, Bromfield, def. Gabby Hamel, West Boylston, 6–3, 6–0.
- 2nd singles: Sarah Moore, Bromfield, def. Sarah Maino, West Boylston, 6–4, 6–2.
- 3rd singles: Allie Wei, Bromfield, def. Alyssa Paige, West Boylston, 6–3, 6–0.
- 1st doubles: Isabelle Quinn, Ariel Jones-Mollod, Bromfield, def. Catherine Burns, Alice Mead, West Boylston, 6–2, 6–2.
- 2nd doubles: Sophia MacLean, Alex O’Neil, Bromfield, def. Katie Morris, Sadie Jude, West Boylston, 6–1, 6–0.
Groton-Dunstable, Thursday, April 28
- 1st singles: Jorgensen, Bromfield, def. Maggie Wertheimer, Groton-Dunstable, 6–3, 3–6, 7–5.
- 2nd singles: Dani Valles, Groton-Dunstable, def. Moore, Bromfield, 6–2, 6–0.
- 3rd singles: Hannah Barnes, Groton-Dunstable, def. Wei, Bromfield, 6–2, 6–3.
- 1st doubles: Quinn, Jones-Mollod, Bromfield, def. Brenna McAllister, Katie Shlepphorst, Groton-Dunstable, 7–6, 6–3.
- 2nd doubles: Gabby Siciliano, Meira Tompkins, Groton-Dunstable, def. MacLean, O’Neill, Bromfield, 6–2, 7–6.
Ivy Wang is a Bromfield sophomore.
