With first place in the PVIAC East Division on the line, host Athol High School picked up arguably its biggest win of the season on Monday night.
The host Red Raiders held on to win a tight opening frame, setting the tone for what ultimately would be a 25-23, 25-18, 19-25, 25-18 victory over Putnam Vocational Technical Academy.
“We definitely needed a win and we got it so it feels good,” offered Athol coach Sean MacDonald, whose team had lost five straight matches entering the night.
Nick Casella (21 assists) and Colby Soltysik (16 assists) helped set up Athol’s attack, which was led by a monster night from outside hitter Justin Blake, who finished with 22 kills. Josh Herk added 13 kills, while Ryan Warner totaled three kills and four aces.
Herk led the defense with 25 digs, while Blake added 19 digs. Casella (11 digs) and Hudson Carlson (10) were also in double figures.
Athol (6-7, 5-2 East) moved a half-game ahead of Putnam (7-5, 4-2) and into a tie with East Longmeadow High School for first place in the league.
Mahar 88, Greenfield 57 — Aaron Hendry, Hugo Frost and Nick Sharp won two events each as Mahar Regional School stayed unbeaten in the Intercounty League with an 88-57 victory over Greenfield High School Monday afternoon at the Pete Conway Track in Greenfield.
Hendry captured first overall in the 400 meters (53.5 seconds) and 110 hurdles (16.5), while Sharp took top honors in a pair of field events, winning the discus (122 feet, 1 inch) and shot put (38-4½). Frost took the 400 hurdles (1:02) and triple jump (36-8¾).
Ash Shaw (800, 2:12.1) and Sebastian Shaw (mile, 5:06.2) were also winners for the Senators (4-0, 4-0 IL), while Bryce Cleveland (javelin, 125-3) and Nick Stafford (long jump, 18-11) rounded out the individual winners for the visitors.
Asier Areta won an event for Greenfield (1-2, 1-2), capturing the 100 meters (12.0), while Elijah Brown was first across in the 200 (24.1). Mike Aras (high jump, 5-4), Isaiah Morrison (pole vault, 12-6) and Dylan Badillo (2-mile, 11:40.2) were the other individual winners for the Wave.
Frontier 3, Turners 2 — The second doubles tandem of Ashley Lavasseaur and Ian Newman captured a clinching victory, lifting Frontier Regional School to a tight 3-2 win in a Tri-County League North girls’ tennis match on Monday in Turners Falls.
Lavasseaur and Newman captured a 6-3, 6-2 win for Frontier (5-1, 4-1 TCL) over Amber Taylor and Isabella Farrick.
The Red Hawks also won a pair of singles matches to capture the key road victory. Celia Speth took a 6-3, 6-0 win over Alysha Wozniak at first singles, while Tori Bowen was a 6-4, 6-3 winner at No. 3 over Turners’ Hailey Trott.
Senior Kortney Thurber led Turners (1-5, 1-2) with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at second singles over Frontier’s Morgan Farrick, while the other point for the Powertown came at first doubles where Kaili Lynch and Carlie Kretchmar were 6-3, 6-4 winners over Frontier’s Anna Zera and Penelope Hosley.
Frontier hosts Pioneer Valley Christian School today, while Turners will host Renaissance School on Wednesday.
Mohawk 3, Greenfield 2 — Sienna Lewis and Avery DuPree picked a great time to earn their career varsity tennis win as a doubles tandem.
The Mohawk Trail Regional High School girls’ tennis players teamed up at second doubles and earned a 6-2, 6-2 win over Greenfield’s Emily Cavendar and Georgia Fowler for the decisive point as the Warriors eeked out a 3-2 victory in a TCL North Division match Monday afternoon in Buckland.
“They played well together and had some good, long rallies,” Mohawk coach Chris Seaver said of the tandem. “They put it together today and got the win.”
The Warriors (1-3) also got a huge point at first singles where Lilly Seaver the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-3), and then earned a 6-2 win in the second set to take a point over Greenfield’s Jenna Silk. Mohawk also picked up a point at third singles where Emilia Seaver bested Leah Bosco, 6-1, 6-3.
Greenfield’s Lilya Georgitsa and Mohawk’s Mary Monohan tangled at second doubles in the most tightly contested match of the day. Monohan won the first set 6-3, and the second set went to a tiebreaker where Georgitsa survived for a 7-5 win in the breaker. Georgitsa then earned a 6-2 win in the third set to take the point. Greenfield (0-4) also got a point at first doubles as Alyssa Garvin and Tabitha Caloon-Ngawang took a 6-1, 6-1 win over Eva Markham and Corinne Freeman.
Greenfield 5, St. Mary’s 0— Three players registered their first wins of the season, including Fahrah Day who came all the way back from a set down at first singles, and Greenfield High School defeated St. Mary’s Parrish School, 5-0, in a Tri-County League boys’ tennis match Monday at the Davis Street Tennis Courts in Greenfield.
Day lost the first set at first singles, 7-5, to St. Mary’s Pat Boyle but he stormed back to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-1 to earn the victory.
Victor Ivancev also picked up his first win of the season with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jared Rusin at second singles. Kevin Gifford was the third member of the Green Wave (2-5) to pick up his first win as he teamed up with Connor Pedigree at second doubles to earn a 6-2, 6-1 win over Aaron Kielbasa and Nick Gregoire.
Cousins Brandon Siow and Aaron Do teamed up at first doubles to defeat Joe Wilson and Kevin Lu by a bagel and a breadstick (6-0, 6-1), and George Balis made it a perfect sweep for the Wave with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Dom Nomakeo at third singles.
Turners 4, Sci-Tech 1 — Brian Poirier remained unbeaten on the season a third singles and Turners Falls took a 4-1 win over Springfield School of Science & Technology in a TCL boys’ tennis match Monday in Turners Falls.
Poirier earned a 6-0, 6-0 win over Miguel Gonzalez. Ricky Craver also earned a point at singles as he picked up a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 win over Xavier Farrell.
Turners Falls (6-2) also swept the doubles matches, earning a forfeit as well as having Will Turn and Josh Gaulin take a 6-0, 6-1 win over Nick O’Brien and Tony Martinez.
Brandon Stewart remained unbeaten on the season for Sci-Tech with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Jimmy Vaughn at first singles.