After press time:
Melrose falls to Wilmington 5-0 (May 10)
Melrose falls to Wakefield 4-1 (May 6)
THE MELROSE High girl’s tennis team picked up a key, league win over Watertown last week, 3-2. (Grace Gentile photo)
Published May 3, 2024
By JENNIFER GENTILE
WATERTOWN—The Melrose High girls tennis team earned their fourth win of the season with a 3-2 league win over Watertown on April 25. They are also power ranked within the top 10 of Div. 2, suggesting they may see a post season this spring.
Against Watertown, Melrose saw some key doubles play turn the tide towards victory. Their second doubles team of Aura Machanic and Tess Isakson had a nice comeback that proved pivotal.
“Our 2nd doubles lost the first set 2-6 but figured out their opponents and won in 3 sets,” said Melrose head coach Lydia Mays. “I’m proud of everyone’s hard fought matches, but Watertown may have thought they had the match before second doubles turned it around.”
But coach Mays gave Watertown much credit for pushing Melrose so hard. “It was the best Watertown team I’ve seen in a while. They put up a good fight but we were able to win enough matches in the end,” she notes.
Outside of the winning second doubles team, the results of the lineup were: 1st singles- Ava Picone won; 2nd singles- Lucia Faulkenberry lost; 3rd singles-Mary Atkinson lost; and in 1st doubles- Lara Flank Contin and Kunsang Wogthing won.
Despite Melrose being power ranked quite high, coach Mays is measured about expectations this season. “A lot of the scores aren’t in yet so our ranking could probably change. I hope we can stay at the top. Beating Burlington on May 8 would be very helpful.”
Before that, Melrose will play Wilmington for the first time on Wednesday, May 1 (post deadline). Grabbing a league win would be key for Melrose. Says Mays, “This is a big match because it is the last of the small schools for us to play. Their number one is very good so everyone will need to step up their game for us to come out victorious.”
One player coach Mays considers key to their recent wins is senior captain Ava Picone. “Ava has been a captain for two years and her commitment and love of the sport is clear to everyone that knows her. She has played very tough opponents at the number one single spot, and she can find a way to win when we need it.”
As Melrose takes a turn towards the second half of its season, the coach hopes her team maintains focus.
“I would like to see everyone on the team play with composure and figure out ways to beat their opponents,” says Mays.
On Monday, Melrose travels to Wakefield to take on their rivals at 4:15 p.m.
