THE GIRLS’ TENNIS TEAM proudly displays the Division 4 Final Four trophy and banner after defeating Mount Greylock 4-1 in the Elite Eight on June 11. From left, head coach Craig Stone, sophomore Paige Martino, sophomore Ella Hayman, freshman Vicky McCrann, captain Maddie Sieve, senior captain Genna Gioioso, junior Leticia Marafon and freshman Lily Alves. (Dan Tomasello Photo)
After press time:
Lynnfield falls to Manchester-Essex 3-1 in Final 4 match (June 15)
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The third seeded girls’ tennis team qualified for the Division 4 Final Four after defeating sixth seed Mount Greylock Regional High School 4-1 in the Elite Eight at Lynnfield Middle School on June 11.
“It’s great,” said girls’ tennis head coach Craig Stone. “For us to graduate four seniors who were in the starting lineup last year to be where we are now and go further than we did last year is quite an accomplishment. I am really impressed with the team’s improvement this season.”
Senior captain Genna Gioioso agreed.
“It’s awesome,” said Gioioso. “I didn’t make the Final Four the first two years I was playing on the team, and I am so excited we made it this year. We put in the work and we deserve to be there.”
Captain Maddie Sieve echoed Gioioso and Stone’s sentiment.
“This is really deserving for us,” said Sieve. “We have worked hard all season and we worked hard during this match. It was really nice to get the victory, the trophy and the banner.”
The Pioneers (15-6) took an early 1-0 lead over the Mounties after sophomore Paige Martino defeated first singles counterpart Mai O’Connor in two sets, 6-4, 6-3.
“Paige had a tiger by the tail,” said Stone. “Fortunately, Paige has a lot of offensive weapons and it was just a matter of time for her to get some short balls and put some balls away. Mai was quite a retriever. It was a tough match.”
Junior Leticia Marafon and freshman Lily Alves gave Lynnfield a 2-0 lead after defeating first doubles opponents Carissa Louis and Effie Skinner in two sets, 6-4, 6-1.
“Leticia went from being a JV player to a second doubles player to a first doubles player,” said Stone. “She has showed a lot of improvement in her game. Outside of a little youth experience, Lily didn’t play much tennis at all until last summer. She played with some friends and in some clinics with me. She is now playing first doubles.”
The Mounties were able to cut the Pioneers’ lead to 2-1 after Gioioso fell to second singles opponent Mia Patrick 1-6(1), 1-6. Stone said Gioioso played very well against Patrick.
“Genna is the marvel of what traditionally happens here,” said Stone. “She missed her freshman year because of COVID. She played second doubles during her sophomore year and played third singles during her junior year. She is now playing second singles in her senior year. She has been able to rise because of the work she has put in during the offseason. It has been very important for her and a driving force for her individually as a player and collectively as a captain.”
The second doubles tandem of sophomore Ella Hayman and freshman Vicky McCrann punched Lynnfield’s ticket to the Final Four after cruising past counterparts Beatrice Pedroni and Amelia Madrigal in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0.
“Ella worked very hard during the offseason,” said Stone. “Similar to Lily, Vicky McCrann never played competitive tennis until this year.”
Sieve defeated third singles opponent Charlotte Holobar in a three-set match that lasted two-and-a-half hours. After winning the first set 6-3, Sieve lost the second set 6-7(5). She bounced back and won the third set 6-2.
“Maddie is our newest marathon woman after being out there for two-and-a-half hours,” said Stone. “She has done that at least half a dozen times this season. She gets out there and grinds. She is mentally tough and is a good athlete.”
Stone noted that this year marks the first time the Pioneers have qualified for the Final Four since the MIAA adopted a statewide tournament for all high school sports instead of the regional format that was a staple for all high school sports for many years. The last time the Pioneers won a sectional championship was 2017.
“With the tournament being restructured, it’s now tougher to get to this point because there are more quality teams involved,” said Stone. “The tournament gets tougher earlier. Previously in the sectionals, the top two teams would often meet in the sectional finals as a formality. This is a little bit more challenging.”
Stone said Mount Greylock qualified for the Elite Eight after defeating 11th seed Ipswich 3-2 in the Sweet 16.
“I was pretty confident that we would sweep the doubles and grab a singles point,” said Stone.
Lynnfield will face second seed and archrival Manchester-Essex in the Final Four on Wednesday, June 14, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at St. John’s Prep in Danvers. The Pioneers previously lost to the Hornets 4-1 on May 19.
Gioioso recalled that Manchester-Essex defeated the Pioneers in last year’s Elite Eight.
“That was a big motivator,” said Gioioso. “I was determined to make it to the Final Four this year. I am so happy we were able to pull out the win.”
Sieve echoed Gioioso’s sentiment.
“It was definitely a driving force,” said Sieve. “We were determined to make the Final Four this year. We all said, ‘We have to win.’ And we did.”
Stone thanked the large crowd of JV players, parents, families, friends and former players for attending the Pioneers’ Elite Eight match against Mount Greylock.
“We had a lot of JV players here,” said Stone. “That speaks volumes about their character and their support for the team. The parents, family, friends and the entire fan base have been very supportive, which has been great.”
The winner of the Lynnfield-Manchester-Essex Final Four match will face either number one seed Hamilton-Wenham or fifth seed Lenox Memorial in the Division 4 state finals at the duPont Tennis Courts at MIT on Saturday, June 17. Townspeople can visit www.miaa.net to view the Division 4 girls’ tennis state tournament brackets.
Hamilton-Wenham won the 2022 Division 4 state championship.