In front of a roaring home crowd Thursday afternoon, both the Martha’s Vineyard boys’ and girls’ tennis teams punched their tickets to the state semifinals with convincing wins in the Elite Eight.
The sun beat down on the courts but it didn’t slow down either squad — or the hundreds of classmates, parents and Vineyard tennis faithful who packed the stands to cheer them on.
For the seniors, they made their last match on their home court count.
The boys rolled to a 5-0 sweep over Medway, marking a return to familiar territory — the program’s fourth consecutive trip to the Final Four. Senior Zak Potter led the charge, making quick work of the first singles match with a 6-1, 6-0 win. Caleb Dubin followed with a steady 6-2, 6-2 victory at second singles, and Kurt Kleeman survived a third-set tiebreaker at third singles, gutting out a 10-5 win. After the match he doused himself with water, sweet relief on the first scorching afternoon of the season.
In doubles, Tommy Flynn and Kyle Levy won 6-4, 6-3 at the top spot, and Nate Walsh and Henry Wansiewicz cruised 6-2, 6-2 to complete the sweep.
“Definitely encouraging when you win a point and you hear 200 people yelling your name,” Dubin said. “Made it easier on the nerves.”
Head coach Nicole Macy knows the semifinal stage has been the team’s stumbling block in recent years, but with nine seniors on this year’s roster, she feels experience and focus can carry them further this time.
“They are accomplishing something that not everybody does,” Macy said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I want them to enjoy graduation and celebrate all the work they’ve done to get here. Then come Monday, we’ll hit the ground running.”
The girls’ team faced a tougher test against Newburyport but came through with a 4-1 win to match the boys’ trip to the final four. In a thrilling number one singles battle, Laina Dubin edged out her opponent in a grueling third-set tiebreak, 12-10. Charlotte Marshard added a 6-2, 6-3 win at second singles. Tessa Shulles stepped in at third singles in place of the regular starter, battling through a close loss.
Doubles play carried the day. Leah Thomson and Zoe Treitman rolled 6-1, 6-1 in the top spot, and Ella Moran and Clementine Zeender delivered a strong 6-2, 6-2 performance to seal the win.
“So proud of our girls,” said head coach Bill Rigali. “They showed resiliency and grit. Let’s keep it going.”
Assistant coach Eddie Stahl credited the Vineyard’s tight-knit community for showing up and showing out.
“The whole community is so supportive,” he said. “Boys team, girls team — it doesn’t matter. This Island tennis community is strong.”
Both Vineyard teams will now head to a neutral site on the mainland for their state semifinal matchups next week, time and day to be determined.
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