Published May 1, 2019
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The girls’ tennis team remains undefeated after the Pioneers won both of its games last week.
The Pioneers (3-0) began last week defeating Rockport 4-1 on Wednesday, April 24.
Sophomore Megan Nevils won her first singles match in two sets, 6-1, 6-4.
Senior captain Alexa Vittiglio cruised to a two-set win during second singles, 6-1, 6-2.
Junior Claire Yang secured a third singles victory in two sets, 7-5, 6-2.
“We swept the singles, all in straight sets,” said Pioneers head coach Craig Stone. “Megan started strong by winning the first set, fell behind 3-4 in the second and then ran off three straight games. Alexa led from start to finish. Claire had to battle to win the first set and then settled down in the second.”
Junior Gillian Skelley and freshman Anna Radulski won their first doubles match in two sets, 6-3, 6-1. Radulski secured her first varsity win during the match.
“They got off to a slow start, down 0-2, but took control by winning 12 of the next 15 games,” said Stone.
Senior captain Nina Dunn and senior Jenna Robbins lost their second doubles match in three sets. After winning the first set 6-4, Dunn and Robbins lost the second set 2-6 and fell 2-6 during the third set.
Stone commended the Pioneers’ strong performance against Rockport.
“Winning at home never gets old,” said Stone. “Actually winning anywhere never gets old. We were able to tweak our lineup and got some other teammates varsity action and still got the victory, which is a testament to our team depth and our commitment to ‘TEAM,’ Together Each Achieves More.”
Stings North Reading
The Pioneers kept rolling and defeated nemesis North Reading 4-1 on Thursday, April 25.
Nevils won her first singles match in two sets, 7-6, 6-0.
“Megan was down 0-3 in the first set when she came back to win a tiebreaker, 7-5, at 6 all,” said Stone. “She then ran the table, winning six straight games in the second set.”
Vittiglio earned a hard-fought three-set victory during second singles. After dropping the first set 2-6, Vittiglio cruised to a 6-2 second set victory and prevailed 6-0 during the third set.
“Alexa lost the first set, battled back to take the second, and won the last six games to win a two-hour match,” said Stone.
Yang dropped her third singles match in two sets, 3-6, 3-6.
Skelley and sophomore Emma Gallucci dismantled their first doubles opponents in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
“The first doubles team of Gallucci and Skelley were back together for the first time this year,” said Stone. “The tandem were Cape Ann League All-Stars and sectional quarterfinalists last year. They played ahead in both sets, but the North Reading duo kept hanging around.”
The second doubles duo featuring juniors Celeste Joly and Elena Moisidis won their match in two sets, 6-2, 6-4.
“Celeste and Elena jumped out of the starting gate in the first set, but labored a little in the second to pull out the win,” said Stone.
Stone said the Pioneers’ match against North Reading was a “competitive match from top to bottom.”
“Lynnfield is now 2-0 in the CAL and 3-0 overall,” said Stone.
