Fourth-seeded Lee High School made opening-set statements in all five matches, and despite some pushback in the second sets from top-seeded Turners Falls High School, the visiting Wildcats were able to punch their ticket to the WMass championship on Thursday.
Lee won all five matches in straight sets to capture a 5-0 victory over the Thunder in the WMass Division 3 boys tennis semifinal round.
“We dug ourselves first-set holes but I thought we showed some competitiveness to play better in the second sets,” Turners head coach Steve Touloumtzis explained. “It was a bit of a disappointing day but like they have all year, our guys showed tremendous sportsmanship. That’s what we’ll take from this season. I’m so proud of their unwavering sportsmanship.”
Tri-County League champion Turners finished its season 13-4 overall. Lee (9-4) will play No. 3 Belchertown in the title match, Tuesday at Forest Park in Springfield.
The Wildcats got off to fast starts in all five matches, winning the opening set in four of them by 6-1 scores and a fifth by a 6-0 margin.
At first doubles, Lee’s Gabe Kelley and Mason Mihlek won the first set, 6-1, before Turners’ Joe Kochan and Josh Gaulin pushed them in the second set, ultimately falling via a tight 7-5 margin.
All five matches were closer in the second sets. At first singles, Turners’ lone senior Will Turn dropped a 6-1, 6-4 decision to Lee’s Chris Petrescu. At second singles, Lee’s Matt Petrescu captured a 6-1, 6-2 win over Brian Poirier, while the Wildcats capped the singles sweep at No. 3 when Cooper Malone grabbed a 6-1, 6-2 win over Turners’ Brody Trott.
Rounding out the matches on Thursday, the second doubles tandem of Mike Boyle and Corin Wisnewski dropped a 6-0, 6-4 decision to Lee’s Carter Geoghan and Cam Tyler.
“We definitely could’ve taken the second set in a couple matches,” Touloumtzis said.
Despite the loss, Touloumtzis said that his team’s season was indeed memorable. The program earned the No. 1 seed in the Division 3 bracket, earning a bye into Thursday’s semifinal round.
“Very gratifying this year,” the coach said. “The boys were very pleased to get as far as they did.”
No. 3 Belchertown 4, No. 2 Greenfield 1 — Visiting Belchertown punched its ticket to a fifth straight Division 3 final, scoring a 4-1 victory over Greenfield in Thursday’s other semifinal, played at the Davis Street courts in Greenfield.
“To get back to finals feels unbelievable,” Orioles head coach Zach Siano said. “The last couple years I feel that we have been the favorites in it, and we have let things slip through our fingers. I’d like to think that we’ll be the favorites on Tuesday again (against Lee), and hopefully these guys can finally close one out.”
The loss ended an outstanding season for the Green Wave, which finished with a 12-5 overall record.
“We came a long way to get here,” Greenfield head coach Andrew Varnon said. “I’m really proud of our players… These seniors mean a lot to me. It’s been a great season and I’m not quite ready for it to be done.”
The Orioles swept the Green Wave in singles matches. All eyes were on the first singles match as Maxim Caron defeated Greenfield’s Victor Ivancev in a come-from-behind victory, 4-6, 6-3, 10-4 (super tiebreaker). Joshua Tan bested Anjou Kang-Stryker, 6-0, 6-3 in second singles, and Ben Schrenzel beat Connor Pedigree, 6-0, 6-0, in third singles.
“I got in my head in the first set,” Caron said. “Victor is a really good player. He was hitting his shots and making me work. I channeled it back in on the second set when I got my footing and hit some passing shots that got me back into the game.”
Caron used the momentum of his second set victory and had a strong finish in the tiebreaker round against Ivancev.
“As we progressed throughout the match, our shots kept getting weaker,” Ivancev said. “I had to resort to riskier tactics like more lobs and dropshots… There are a lot of strategies that come into play when you get tired in a match.”
Siano was impressed with the back-and-forth match at first singles.
“Victor was thoroughly impressive out there,” Siano said. “Maxim was doing everything we wanted him to do, working him (Ivancev) side to side, attacking the net, and Victor made Maxim work for every single point… I think this match will have him (Caron) revved up for finals.”
At first doubles, Belchertown’s Colby Masse and Korey Houle beat Greenfield’s Gabriel Larouche and Jacob Frank, 6-0, 6-2. The Green Wave snagged their lone point at second doubles, where the tandem of Daniel Pena-Chadee and Petru Cojocaru’s victory over Ian Roche and Noah Troy 6-4, 0-6 and 10-4 in the tiebreaker.
Varnon said he is disappointed to see seniors Ivancev, Brandon Siow, Kang-Stryker and Pedigree leave the program, but said, “we have things that we can build on for next season, and that’s exciting.”
“It’s been unreal,” Ivancev said in reflection of his high school career. “I would have liked to end it with a win, but the experience has been unreal.”