Girls’ tennis 1 win away from postseason berth

The CHS girls’ tennis team is one win away from advancing to the state tournament. With a loss to the Sharon Eagles last week, the Bulldogs fell below .500, but a win against either Stoughton or Foxboro would still bring them into postseason play.

Last Monday’s match against Sharon resulted in a 4-1 loss. The shining star of the team — and of the league for that matter — continues to be senior Erika Nannery. With a seamless 6-0, 6-0 win, Nannery remains undefeated.

At second singles, senior Eleni Papadopoulos couldn’t find her rhythm and was defeated 3-6, 6-7. Junior Amberly Diep at third singles fell in straight sets, 4-6, 0-6. And despite competitive matches in doubles play, the Bulldogs couldn’t hold it together for another win. Senior Aimee Pina and junior Pranathi Ganni lost 4-6, 3-6, while seniors Kristen Burns and Pujitha Ganni took it to three sets but ultimately fell 2-6, 7-6, 0-6.

With Foxboro’s match canceled due to bad weather, the only other play of the week occurred at the individual state tournament. Papadopoulos played well against Sharon’s number-one player and the sixth seed of the tournament. Bringing her to three sets, Papadopoulos ultimately lost and did not advance further.

Teammate Nannery, however, continued her winning streak. Seeded second, she crushed the 17^th seed from Archbishop Williams 6-0, 6-0 and similarly dominated the seventh seed 6-0, 6-2. With these two wins, she advances to the semifinals and will be one of the final eight singles players who will compete for the title this weekend at Old Rochester High School.

Head coach Bill Kates was impressed with Nannery’s play and believes “she has a good chance of becoming the south sectional champion.” Nannery’s advancement to the semifinals brings her many accolades, including All-Scholastic recognition from the Boston Globe, Patriot Ledger, and Boston Herald.

Looking for at least one more win of the season, the team hopes to deliver against Stoughton on Monday, May 20, and Foxboro on Tuesday, May 21.

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Posted by Holly Erickson on May 23 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.