THE GIRLS’ TENNIS TEAM honored three seniors before the Pioneers’ Senior Day match against Marblehead on May 22. From left, METCO Director Curtis Blyden, Laura Guimaraes, Teanne Alfama Polanco, captain Genna Gioioso, Colleen Gioioso, John Gioioso and Leo the dog. (Courtesy Photo)

 

Update post publication:

#3 Lynnfield defeats #30 Sturgis West 3-0 (6/1)
Advances to the Round of 16

#3 defeats #14 Lee 4-1 (6/5)

Advances to the Round of 8. Game details TBA here

 

 

Published May 31, 2023

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the girls’ tennis team is now gearing up for the Division 4 state tournament.

Lynnfield (12-6) defeated North Reading 5-0 on May 24. The Pioneers previously defeated the Hornets 3-2 on May 15.

Sophomore Paige Martino won her first singles match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1.

“Paige controlled the flow, as both her and her opponent were unleashing punishing ground strokes, but Paige held the upper hand,” said Pioneers head coach Craig Stone.

Senior captain Genna Gioioso defeated her second singles counterpart in three sets. After winning the first set 6-2, Gioioso lost the second set 2-6. She bounced back and won the third set tiebreaker 10-7.

“Genna’s match was a tale of two halves, with both players winning decisive sets,” said Stone. “But with Lynnfield already up 3-0, they played a 10-point tiebreaker for the third set.”

Captain Maddie Sieve dismantled her third singles opponent in two sets, 6-0, 6-2.

“Maddie led from start to finish and controlled play throughout the match,” said Stone.

Junior Leticia Marafon and freshman Lily Alves won their first doubles match in two sets, 6-4, 6-4.

“First doubles was a close as the score indicates, with neither team gaining a decisive edge in a two-and-a-half hour match until the final game of each set,” said Stone.

Sophomore Ella Hayman and freshman Vicky McCrann won a two-set victory during second doubles, prevailing 6-1, 6-2.

“Second doubles led from start to finish, with Ella and Vicky controlling play at the net,” said Stone.

Defeats Swampscott

The Pioneers defeated Swampscott 4-1 on May 23.

Martino won her first singles match in two sets, 6-3, 6-1.

“Paige dominated from the baseline,” said Stone. “She hits with pace and depth.”

Gioioso fell 4-6, 2-6 during second singles.

Sieve edged her third singles counterpart in two sets, 7-5, 7-6.

“Maddie was down 0-5 in the first set, and she then won seven games in a row,” said Stone. “She was again down 4-5 in the second set, and went up 6-5 only to have to win it in a tiebreaker 7-6 in another two-and-a-half hour marathon.”

Marafon and Alves won their first doubles match in three sets. After losing the first set 4-6, Marafon and Alves bounced back and won the second set 6-4 and prevailed 6-3 during the third set.

“All of the games were close, and many went to deuce,” said Stone.

Hayman and sophomore Ciara Long won their second doubles match in three sets. Hayman and Long won the first set 6-4, fell 1-6 during the second set and secured a 6-1 victory during the third set.

“Second doubles jumped out 4-1 in the first set, and held on to win it 6-4,” said Stone. “They were outplayed in the second set, but turned it around and outplayed their opponents in the third set.”

Stone said the Pioneers played very well against the Big Blue.

“It’s matches like these that you need to move on in the state tournament,” said Stone. “We are fortunate to have a balanced lineup with three-point potential each time we have a match. The win was also quite a morale boost after losing such a touch match the day before.”

Falls to Marblehead

The Pioneers began last week falling 3-2 to Marblehead on May 22.

Before the match began, the Pioneers honored Gioioso and fellow seniors Teanne Alfama Polanco and Laura Guimaraes for their contributions to the girls’ tennis program during a Senior Day ceremony.

Martino easily won her first singles match in straight sets, prevailing 6-1, 6-0.

“Paige had little trouble at first singles,” said Stone. “She dominated with her groundstrokes and attacking style.”

Gioioso earned a hard-fought victory during second singles, 7-5, 6-4.

“Genna hit groundstrokes all over the court while her opponent retrieved and played defense,” said Gioioso. “The match went back-and-forth till Genna seemed to reach a little deeper toward the end of each set to capture the win.”

Sieve lost her third singles match in three sets. After losing the first set 2-6, Sieve bounced back and won the second set 6-3. She lost the third set 3-6.

Marafon and Alves lost their first doubles match in two sets, 4-6, 4-6.

Hayman and McCrann fell 2-6, 6-7 during second doubles.

Stone said the Pioneers played very well against the Magicians.

“It was a closely played match on Senior Day,” said Stone. “Marblehead, with four seniors and three juniors in the lineup, just had a little more experience. That proved to be the difference. If the match was played again next week, you might see an entirely different result. We need matches like these so our young lineup will play better the next time.”

State tournament

The third seeded Pioneers will face either 30th seed Sturgis Charter Public School West or 36th seed Mohawk Trail Regional High School in the Round of 32 in the Division 4 state tournament. The match’s time and date had yet to be announced when the Villager went to press.