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05/02/2015 12:00 AMThe Guilford girls’ tennis team has undergone plenty of tinkering with its deep roster to try to find the perfect lineup early on this spring and it looks like the Indians may be on the way to finding their formula for late-season success.
Following an 0-2 start and a then week off from match play due to April vacation, Guilford has turned things around with a strong string of triumphs—including a 6-1 road victory at Sacred Heart Academy on April 27 to complete a four-match win streak. Head Coach Chris Marra explained that due to his squad’s depth, he’s used seven different lineups in as many matches, which is a problem that he certainly welcomes.
“We’ve really had some good matches lately, but we really have a young team here and are just trying to figure out where everyone fits,” said Marra. “We are trying to decide where everyone is best suited within our starting lineup. One they all come into their own, then we will be fine.”
At SHA, solo decisions came by way of seniors Emily Etter and Madeline Montenegro, plus freshman Faren Roth.
On the doubles side, Guilford made it a clean sweep with tandems of sophomore Claire Dinauer and freshman Samantha Stofflet, freshmen siblings of Charlotte and Molly Babbin, and senior Ritika Mahkijani and junior Ellie Pinchbeckall all scoring straight set triumphs.
“We have a bunch of great freshmen that are playing very well right now. Plus, the Babbin twins are also playing very well in doubles,” Marra said. “Even against Amity [a 7-0 loss on April 28], every one of the matches were close, so top to bottom, we have girls that can play. The only challenge is finding the best way to utilize that depth. As time goes on, in a year or so, we will be even better and stronger. It’s just going to take time to have it all come together.”
In the No. 1 singles match, Etter squared off against sophomore SHA (1-6) counterpart Monika Krah. Etter was down 4-1 early in the first set for Guilford (4-3), but rallied with five straight games to take the opener prior to a 6-2 second set final to close the matchup.
“Monika is a pretty good player and Emily got down to her,” said Marra. “But it was nice to see her come back and win there.”
For the second singles contest, Montenegro met sophomore Jenna Tubby. After taking the first in 6-2 fashion, Montenegro made it a straight setter via a 6-3 final.
Roth was next at No. 3 singles versus junior Maggie Hughes and Roth needed seven game points to take the opener 7-5 before a brief follow-up set with Roth prevailing 6-1.
Concluding the singles matches, Indians’ freshman Elaina Griffiths fought valiantly against senior Casey Marak despite taking a 6-1, 6-1 defeat.
Moving to duo tennis, Guilford’s No. 1 team of Dinauer and Stofflet faced off against seniors Christine Radwill and Margaret Mirabella. The two helped the Indians record yet another two-setter with 6-0, 6-1 scores.
In No. 2 doubles, the Babbin girls took on sophomores Olivia Ross and Ashley Pyne. After a 6-2 victory for the initial set, the sisters worked together to earn a sweep with a 6-3 triumph for the latter stanza.
Finishing off the outing was Mahkijani and Pinchbeck staring cross court at junior Meghan Gray and sophomore Claire Gagliano. Guilford’s pairing rounded out the team’s three doubles wins with a 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Then on April 30, Guilford made it five victories in six matches with a 6-1 home triumph over Cheshire. Etter (6-3, 6-0); Roth (6-2, 6-3); Charlotte (6-1, 6-0); and Molly Babbin (6-0, 6-0); plus the teams of Montenegro and Dinauer (6-3, 6-0); along with senior Genevieve Wilson and Makhijani (5-7, 6-3, 7-5) were match winners.
Coach Marra said that his club is still locked in a mental laboratory in terms of figuring out a consistent 10-person lineup, although he feels that some tough competition will help unlock the combination for prominence.
“We are still in the experimental phases with the lineup, yet we are close with good ideas and options,” Marra said. “We are still trying to decide what singles players and doubles teams work the best. And I’m hoping that this stretch we are about to go on with matches against [2014 SCC DII champion] Cheshire, Avon, North Haven, and [reigning SCC DI winner] Hand will help figure all this stuff out.”
Within his team’s winning streak was a grueling doubleheader sweep of Mercy and Hamden on April 23, which Marra felt not only showed the durability of his Indians, but also their cohesiveness.
“It was kind of cool that it ended up being an easier doubleheader than we thought it would be, yet we struggled a bit against Mercy in one match at second doubles,” said Marra. “Yet to stay out there and then go later on versus Hamden, they just did a great job and hung together as a team.”
The yearly grind of a regular season slate filled with top SCC opponents will only aid in testing the mettle of Guilford in Marra’s eyes. He said that many matches may have a slim margin of error for both the Indians and their adversaries.
“There are about seven matches that can go either way for us. The rest of the year depends on how we do versus the tougher teams, plus we have matches that we will likely be favored in,” said Marra. “If we can pull those out, then we should be in good shape.”