No. 11 Warriors take on No. 6 Hopkinton this afternoon
WAKEFIELD — After winning the Middlesex League Freedom Division, the Wakefield boys’ tennis team is not ready for their Cinderella season to end.
When the D2 power rankings and state tournament brackets were released last week, the Warriors sat comfortably at No. 11. The boys took on the Bull Dogs from Canton in the first round, ranked No. 22 in the competitive Hockomock league.
“Although we were ranked higher than Canton, you never know the level of play in other leagues. They had two players who were undefeated for the season. Our boys weren’t taking anything for granted. With home-court advantage, they came to get the job done,” said head coach Cheryl Connors.
At first singles, senior tri-captain Ben Palmer faced off against a very tough opponent, Max Kupferman.
“As I said before, playing first singles is incredibly challenging. You’re facing some of the best players across the state,” said Connors. “Ben is a fighter and battled through each game. There were some amazing points. Unfortunately, Kupferman rarely missed a shot.”
The score of the match did not accurately reflect the level of play. Palmer lost the match 6-1, 6-2.
Luke Greif, a freshman and one of two rookies on the varsity team, faced off against Jonathan Sithivong at second singles. Greif, who is now 13-3 for the season, quickly defeated his opponent 6-0, 6-0.
“Luke has been a great asset to the team. He has a high tennis IQ, great footwork, and his shot selection is spot on,” said Connors. “I’m looking forward to seeing his progression over the next three years.”
Tri-captain and senior Matt Conley got to work quickly against his opponent Kevin Moltenbrey.
CAPTAIN MATT CONLEY won his match 6-1, 6-0 at third singles in Wakefield’s state tournament win over Canton on Monday. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
“You can always count on Matt to put up a win. He is steady, consistent, and unflappable,” said Connors. “Sometimes, the key to winning a match is to cut down on unforced errors.” Conley, who is now 12-4 for the season, dropped just one game in his match against Canton, winning 6-1, 6-0.
The first doubles team of seniors Michael Leary (tri-captain) and Kyle Russell did not disappoint.
“It is a lot of fun to watch Mike and Kyle play. They compliment each other well. Over the season, they have gotten to know each other’s style of play and make a good doubles team,” said Connors.
The match had some amazing and entertaining rallies. Just when you thought someone hit a winner, the ball would come back over the net. As Greif and Conley had finished their matches, a win at first doubles would clinch Wakefield’s spot in the round of 16. The duo, who is 12-5 for the season, beat their Canton opponents 6-1, 6-0 to a roaring crowd.
Although the team match was officially won, the second doubles duo of senior Alex Fata and freshman Kevin DeGray was still being hard fought on court six. Alex and Kevin dominated the first set 6-2. However, they seemed to lose their footing in the second set, getting down 2-5. But Fata and DeGray were determined not to have it go to a third set. They battled for every point to the cheers of the entire crowd. It went to 3-5, 4-5, and then they tied it to 5-5. The pair dug deep and went on to win the next two games, defeating their opponents 7-5 in the second set.
“I couldn’t be prouder of these boys,” said Connors. “They never gave up. To be down 2-5 in a second set and win the next five games in a row shows true grit. It was the icing on the cake of a solid team win.”
The Warriors move on to the round of 16 and take on No. 6 seed, the Hopkinton Hillers, today, Wednesday, June 8 at 5 p.m. in Hopkinton.
