The Martha’s Vineyard girls tennis team secured a spot in the Division 3 state tournament quarterfinals with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Boston Latin Academy at home on Thursday afternoon.
With the match tied at 2-2, all attention turned to the first singles match, where sophomore Laina Dubin held the weight of the team’s fate on her shoulders.
“It was just all on me,” Dubin said after the match. “The score was tied 2-2, and we just needed one more point to win. If I lost, our season was over, so that pushed me to do my best.”
Before starting the final set, Dubin took a moment to ask her head coach, Bill Rigali, to hold onto a stray wrapper that had blown onto the court.
“You can do it,” Coach Rigali said softly through the fence, offering words of encouragement as Dubin prepared for the deciding set.
Dubin proved him right. Despite being down 2-3 in the third set, she fought back to win 6-4, sealing the match and the team’s victory. The crowd erupted in cheers, and the rest of the team rushed to the court to celebrate with her.
The afternoon began with strong performances from both doubles teams. The first doubles team of Leah Thomson and Zoe Treitman dominated with a 6-0, 6-1 win, while the second doubles team of Ella Moran and Clementine Zeender won 6-1, 6-4.
In singles, Charlotte Marshard and Ellie Pennington both fell short in their matches. Marshard lost the first set, bounced back to win the second, but ultimately lost the third set 3-6. Pennington was defeated in two sets.
Coach Rigali was proud of the team’s effort in what he called a “wonderful, competitive” match.
“This is exactly the kind of contest we want for our athletes,” he said. “It teaches them about themselves, win or lose. I’m so proud of our girls for staying positive and keeping their heads up.”
Coach Rigali’s approach to coaching revolves around one key principle: belief.
“I always believe in my players,” he said. “It doesn’t always mean a win, but I believe that we can win, and that makes all the difference. Teenagers respond well to that kind of support.”
The team finished the regular season with a 15-1 record and earned the third seed in the state tournament. Dubin expressed her pride in the team’s progress this year.
“It’s been a huge improvement from last year,” she said. “We went from being one of the bottom seeds to now being in the top eight. I’m just proud of how far we’ve come. We’re all excited for what’s next.”
The girls will face Newburyport in the quarterfinals, with the date and time still to be determined.
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