Girls’ tennis snaps slump with 2-0 week

After enduring a recent slump, the CHS girls’ tennis team rebounded last week with wins over Milford and Oliver Ames, putting the team’s record back above .500 and back on track to qualify for the state tournament.

Senior captain Eleni Papadopoulos (Mike Barucci photo)

Last Monday’s match at Milford saw some lineup changes that paid huge dividends for the Bulldogs. At first singles, senior Erika Nannery kept her unbeaten streak going with an easy 6-1, 6-1 win. However, senior Eleni Papadopoulos couldn’t keep pace with her counterpart at second singles and fell in straight sets, 1-6, 4-6.

At third singles, junior Amberly Diep came out strong with a 6-1 first set but lost the next two 2-6, 1-6. Now behind 2-1, the Bulldogs looked to the doubles teams, where head coach Bill Kates decided to “do something dramatic.”

Separating the senior doubles duo of Aimee Pina and Kristen Burns, Kates opted to pair Pina with junior Pranathi Ganni — a decision that yielded a critical win. Falling short in a tiebreaker in the first set, the duo battled back and won this key match 6-7, 6-3, 6-2. It then came down to Burns and senior Pujitha Ganni at second doubles, and the pair did not disappoint, breezing to a 6-0, 6-2 victory.

The 3-2 win against Milford was followed up by a home match against Oliver Ames on Wednesday, May 8. Conditions were less than optimal and intermittent rain delayed the match a couple of times. The Canton girls were not distracted by the weather, however, as they crushed the Tigers 5-0.

Nannery shut out her competitor 6-0, 6-0, while Papadopoulos found her stride for a 6-1, 6-2 win. Senior Jude Altabbaa took home her first win since her return to the squad (6-3, 6-4). Pina and Pranathi Ganni seem to be working well together and won seamlessly 6-1, 6-0. And for the fifth and final win of the day, Burns and Pujitha Ganni lost the first set but rallied in the next two for a 6-7, 6-0, 10-8 win.

Coach Kates, pleased with his squad, spent last weekend at the individual state tournament at Hingham High School, where Nannery and Papadopoulos both advanced to next weekend’s round of play. Up next for the Bulldogs are some of its most challenging matches, including Sharon on Monday, May 13, and Foxboro on Wednesday, May 15.

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Posted by Holly Erickson on May 16 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.