GREENFIELD — Underestimating an opponent can lead to disaster.
That was the message to the Greenfield High School boys tennis team prior to its WMass Div. 3 quarterfinal match against Frontier Regional on Tuesday.
The second-seeded Green Wave faced the Frontier girls’ team in its first playoff appearance under coach Andrew Varnon on the Davis Street courts. The Wave had some scares but advanced and beat the No. 7 Red Hawks, 5-0.
“I am really proud of my guys today,” Varnon said. “It felt like a big deal today. As someone who has invested in the Greenfield tennis community, I feel this was a good day for tennis in Franklin County.”
The Wave will play No. 3 Belchertown in the semifinals on Thursday on Davis Street at 3:30 p.m.
“We are advancing,” Varnon said. “Belchertown is going to be a steep climb for us but we get a chance. It’s another day we get to play.”
Varnon referenced the famous “Battle of the Sexes” match from 1973 when Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in preparation for Tuesday’s match.
“I told my players,” Varnon began, “chauvinists are losers. We come here to win. They came here because they wanted to keep their team together. We totally respect that but we wanted to win today and send them home the right way. I told my team we are not Bobby Riggs.”
With Coleman Hartner on the varsity roster, the Red Hawks faced a decision. Leave Hartner at home and compete in the girls’ tournament or compete in the boys’ tournament with Hartner.
That decision was an easy one for Frontier.
“We didn’t give it a second thought,” Frontier coach James Fitzgerald said. “Coleman has been an integral part of this team since day one. It would have been inappropriate to leave him home and leave him off the roster. We weren’t going to take the easy road.”
Hartner, paired with Cassidy Bardwell, lost to Gabriel Larouche and Jacob Frank, 7-6, 6-0 in the No. 1 doubles match.
“It really felt like they cared I was on the team,” Hartner said. “I was really included and happy that they would do that for me.”
The match was well attended, with fans from both sides crowding Davis Street.
The match of the afternoon went to Tori Speth and Victor Ivancev at No. 1 singles. Ivancev came out victorious against Speth (4-6, 7-5, 11-9) but had to win a third-set tiebreaker to do so.
“She was hitting the ball hard and flat consistently,” Ivancev said. “Something I don’t expect. It was something I had to adjust to.”
Speth had some issues with Ivancev advancing to the net, but started hitting some accurate lob shots that built her confidence.
“I said, ‘You know what, I can hang,’” Speth said. “I started getting momentum and getting my shots in. It inspired me to play better.”
Speth said the team was united in its decision to play in the boys’ tournament.
“We had a very team-oriented season,” Speth said. “We would never leave someone behind. We traveled to every match together. Having Coleman play was a goal the entire season.”
In No. 2 singles competition, Anjou Kang-Stryker defeated Mary Laurens, 6-4, 6-2. In the No. 3 singles match, Connor Pedigree was victorious over Kayleigh Aucoin, 6-2, 6-1.
In No. 2 doubles, Daniel Pena-Chadee and Petru Cojocaru defeated Sofia Patten and Jalen Sullivan, 6-3, 6-2.
Frontier does not have a senior on the roster.
“This match gave us an opportunity to prepare for next season,” Fitzgerald said. “The way we played …I am speechless.”
