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Bishop Guertin girls favorite for fifth straight Division I tennis crown

By Staff | Apr 6, 2014

Last season, the Bishop Guertin High School girls and Bedford High School boys tennis teams took home Division I championships. If the consensus proves to be correct, those teams are primed for another dominant season.

Bishop Guertin will begin its fourth straight title defense after topping Bedford during the team tournament last year. The Cardinals finished last season 17-0 and went 68-0 over the last four seasons, but the departure of a few key players may allow some other teams to compete for the crown.

One of those teams could be Nashua South, which had a strong 2013 campaign. Despite losing in the quarterfinals, the Panthers aren’t discouraged. South returns the majority of its starters and should provide tough competition for BG in Division I.

Merrimack and Nashua North should also be competitive if last season’s growth continues.

The Bedford boys will look to become the first repeat champion in Division I since Concord in 2006-07. Of course, there will be plenty of competition to overtake the Bulldogs, including several challenging opponents in Nashua.

Bishop Guertin looks to improve on its 8-6 record in 2013, as the Cardinals bring back a trio of junior starters. Nashua South missed the tournament on the last day of the regular season, but a handful of returning athletes could turn the Panthers’ fortunes around. Alvirne, Merrimack and Nashua North all hope to rebound from subpar seasons, and increases in participation at each school shows that the programs are moving in the right direction.

In Division II, the Portsmouth, Hanover and St. Thomas boys and girls teams seem ready to continue their dominance. Several local teams are hoping to join the trio atop the standings.

The Hollis Brookline girls will look to build off an exceptional 2013 season, while Souhegan and Milford continue to improve. On the boys side, Milford is hoping to take the correct steps in its effort to rebuild.

The Wilton-Lyndeborough boys and girls return the majority of their rosters, and the extra year of experience could go a long way in determining the Warriors’ place among the Division III elite. Gilford won the boys championship last year, while Bow took home the girls title.

GIRLS tennis

Bishop Guertin

COACH: Barry Ndinya (second season).

LAST YEAR: 17-0, Division I champion.

RETURNING STARTERS: Lauren Hayward, sr.; Amelia Fallon, sr.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: Hailee Borino, sr.; Rachel Clark-Pounder, sr.; Nola Hesby, so.; Paige Kennett, so.; Kiki Murphy, so.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Emma Horgan, so.; Claire Mutty, so.; Lizzie Sheehan, so.; Jessica Serrao, so.; Emily Tobin, so.; Maddie Gilbertson, fr.; Grace Goyette, fr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “It’s going to be an interesting season,” Ndinya said. “It’s not going to be as easy as it has been the last few years. We still have some great players at the top, but we aren’t as deep all the way down the lineup. This could be a challenging season for us.”

Hollis Brookline

COACH: Marie Salamone (fifth season).

LAST YEAR: 10-4.

RETURNING STARTERS: Lian Tumas, sr.; Lizzy Davis, jr.; Nicole Hall, so.; Teresa Randlett, so.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: Melanie Murphy, sr.; Sarah Pugh, sr.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Courtney Koran, fr.; Audra Paradie, fr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “One hundred percent commitment,” Salamone said. “To compete with the better teams, dedication throughout the year is necessary.”

Merrimack

COACH: Susan Cloutier (fifth season).

LAST YEAR: n/a.

RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: Alyssa Hobbs, sr.; Rebecca Jackson, sr.; Pauline Klinger, sr.; Zoe Lanier, sr.; Fallon Lauture, sr.; Katherine Bouressa, jr.; Kiera Crowley, jr.; Rhianne Tallarico, jr.; Casey Wright, so.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Rebecca Eelman, fr.; Lianna Klinger, fr.; Laura Allen, fr.; Kortney Vallace, fr.; Alexandra Hayden, fr.; Brianna Labonte, fr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “We seem to do well with doubles, and the girls know how to attack the net,” Cloutier said. “We’ve had some success there.”

Milford

COACH: Nancy McManus (second season).

LAST YEAR: 4-10.

RETURNING STARTERS: Maria Romanenko, sr.; Shannon Kolasinski, sr.; Kathryn Shangraw, sr.; Isabelle Rivas, jr.; Courtney LeCuyer, sr.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Sara Szarko, jr.; Carmen Garcia, fr.; Jenny Somsuk, fr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “This is a team of seasonal players,” McManus said. “I usually measure the success of the team by the improvement that is made from the beginning of the season to the end.”

Nashua North

COACH: Robert Viens (second season).

LAST YEAR: 3-11.

RETURNING STARTERS: Annika Kossayda, sr.; Jessica Schuyler, jr.; Sofia Rivera, so.; Victoria Lizotte, jr.; Monique Duchesne, sr.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: Krithika Suresh, so.; Courtney Stuart, jr.; Sarah Soliman, jr.; Regan Jameson, jr.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Natalie Lindner, fr.; Alexandra Norris, fr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “We need to win the matches we won last season and we need to win the six winnable matches we (lost),” Viens said.

Nashua South

COACH: Virginia Ferris (sixth season).

LAST YEAR: 12-2, lost in quarterfinals.

RETURNING STARTERS: Micaela Baney, sr.; Katelyn Griswold, sr.; Victoria Ziolek, jr.; Sarah Allison, jr.; Sarah Drake, so.; Samantha Harden, so.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: Tina Ta, jr.; Amelia Wagner, jr.; Sony Mandehakar, so.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Sarah Prowker, fr.; Chiedza Mutindori, fr.; Paula Nunez, fr.; Alana Bethea, so.; Madeiline Paul, fr.; Nicole Grullon, fr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “After coming off of such a high, we need to maintain the momentum and focus,” Ferris said.

Souhegan

COACH: Leah Morrissey (second season).

LAST YEAR: n/a.

RETURNING STARTERS: Maeve Morgan, sr.; Lindsay Moss, sr.; Annie Protzmann, jr.; Bailey Farris, sr.; Natalie Nelson, jr.; Gina Mancini, sr.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Anna Redway, fr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “Our focus is to continue to build a motivated and cohesive team,” Morrissey said.

Wilton-Lyndeborough

COACH: Betsie Sullivan (23rd season).

LAST YEAR: 2-12.

RETURNING STARTERS: Maddy Bacon, so.; Taylor Webb, jr.; Naomi Wight, so.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: Etta Popek, jr.; Suzie Lemire, so.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Chelsea Barnes, jr.; Amanda Flanagan, fr.; Tatum Vander-Heyden, fr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “What represents success is the attitude and commitment that the players come onboard with,” Sullivan said. “When my players give the best effort that they know how and are respectful of their opponents, then I feel that they are successful, win or lose.”

BOYS TENNIS

Alvirne

COACH: Michael Coulter (third season).

LAST YEAR: n/a.

RETURNING STARTERS: Matt O’Brien, sr.; Colin Calnan, jr.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: Jake Auger, so.; Kevin Breen, sr.; Scott Rancourt, jr.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Raul Stedile, fr.; Jared Whalen, fr.; Austin Gill, fr.; Sam Bonney, fr.; Brett Richardson, fr.; Henry Williams, fr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “The key would entail a good group of young athletes wanting to learn and improve their tennis game,” Coulter said.

Bishop Guertin

COACH: Tom Lizotte (third season).

LAST YEAR: 8-6.

RETURNING STARTERS: Jason Lutcza, jr.; Ryan Montbleau, jr.; Brian Xiao, so.; Rishi Yemme, jr.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Kyle Carbonneau, jr.; John Krapian, jr.; Peter Scannell, jr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “It’s important to develop confidence in the players so they can perform under both winning and losing conditions,” Lizotte said. “This will translate into positive self-confidence both on and off the court.”

Merrimack

COACH: Jeff Marvelle (seventh season).

LAST YEAR: 3-11.

RETURNING STARTERS: Andrew MacEarhern, so.; Matt Keeler, so.; Jordan Meaney, so.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: John Pitten, jr.; Andrew Trimper, so.

COACH’s COMMENT: “The key is for the guys to continue to make improvements,” Marvelle said.

Milford

COACH: Paul Bois (fourth season).

LAST YEAR: 2-12.

RETURNING STARTERS: Kyle Leach, jr.; Niko Giokas, sr.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Gordon Shenk, fr.; Paradon Leelabutra, sr.; Andrew Fuhs, jr.; James Halstead, sr.; Jared Blanc, so.; Alan Brooks, jr.; Mitchell Lepine, fr.; Jack Burnham, so.; Mark Boyd, sr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “This is a true rebuilding year,” Bois said. “The true key … is mental attitude and a desire to win.”

Nashua North

COACH: Charles Smith (third season).

LAST YEAR: 3-11.

RETURNING STARTERS: Jacob Arikian, sr.; Ethan Kim, so.; Ethan Rose, so.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: Zachariah Fahsi, sr.; Karthik Korrapaty, so.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Sam Kluger, fr.; David Grossman, jr.; Connor King, so.; Jack Cody, sr.

COACH’S COMMENT: “We have a lot of depth and a lot of players with experience,” Smith said. “We need players to continue to make some good strides.”

Nashua South

COACH: David Santerre (sixth season).

LAST YEAR: 8-8.

RETURNING STARTERS: Kaushil Patel, jr.; Sumeet Salvi, sr.; Brandon Stempler, so.; John Zhang, sr.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: Joseph Sodillo, sr.; Kunal Shah, sr.; Volodymyr Loyko, sr.

PROMISING NEWCOMERS: Brian Barrows, jr.; Craig Freeman, so.; Samuel McIntyre, so.

COACH’S COMMENT: “A lot of our matches will come down to doubles,” Santerre said, “so we need to be consistent and play to our ability.”

Wilton-Lyndeborough

COACH: John Williams (second season).

LAST YEAR: n/a.

RETURNING STARTERS: Connor Holt, sr.; James Edmunds, sr.; Ryan Christino, jr.; Skye Williams, jr.

OTHER RETURNING LETTER WINNERS: John Lemire, sr.; Matt Ducharme, so.

COACH’S COMMENT: “We have all six starters returning, so that experience should be a good thing,” Williams said.

Preview capsules for Alvirne girls and Hollis Brookline and Souhegan boys teams were not available at presstime.

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