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05/27/2017 12:00 AMIn the course of one week, the Hand girls’ tennis team not only returned to the SCC and Class M finals for the second straight season, the Tigers also walked away from both tournaments as champions.
Hand was the runner-up for the SCC and Class M State tournaments last year. On the heels of a perfect regular season this spring, the top-seeded Tigers advanced to the SCC final to face No. 2 seed Amity at Yale University on May 25. This marked the seventh time in eight seasons that the teams locked horns with the SCC title on the line, and the 2017 edition went to the Tigers by a 4-3 score, giving them a measure of revenge after losing to the Spartans in last year’s conference final. Hand sealed its seventh SCC Tournament title when the senior pairing of Renee Tracy and Grace Squitiero prevailed 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) against Hannah Hipona and Alekya Menta in the No. 2 doubles match.
The championships didn’t stop there for the Tigers, who followed up their win at SCCs by defeating Lauralton Hall (6-1), Barlow (6-1), and Pomperaug (7-0) in the Class M State Tournament to reach their second straight state final. The 2nd-seeded Tigers beat No. 12 seed Guilford at Westbrook High School to claim their third state crown, their first since 2012, and complete a perfect 22-0 season. The Tigers led 3-2 before winning the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches in three sets to clinch the title.
“It was an amazing experience for the team in winning SCCs. I’m so happy we were able to take back the title. We hadn’t won it since my freshman year,” said Tracy. “It’s been the most amazing year...Especially after being runner-up for SCCs and states last year, winning both has definitely been a goal of ours. Being able to see all the hard work pay off has been incredible. [Head Coach Kitty Palmer] is an amazing coach who gets the best out of her players, and I have no doubt that there will be many more victories to come.”
Hand’s lone singles victory in the conference final came from freshman Anne Barrett, who defeated Jess Foster 6-2, 6-0 in the No. 4 singles match. Barnett was named the SCC Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Ankita Roychoudhury dropped a 6-4, 6-2 decision against Daphne Kreiger in the No. 1 singles match. At No. 2 singles, junior Anisha Jiaen lost a 6-1, 6-2 contest to Sarah Bullers. For No. 3 singles, Amity’s Rachel Einbinder came away with a 6-2, 6-2 win versus junior Ellen Weinstein.
The Tigers swept doubles play by receiving victories from the freshmen tandem of All-SCC Team honorees Anna Lang and Sam Riordan, who beat Haley Grande and Anisha Jain 6-1, 6-0 in the No. 1 match; along with Tracy and Squitiero for the No. 2 duel; and the tandem of juniors Nichole Goldfeder and Nelle Karas, who swept Chloe Gherlone and Taylor Nuzzo 6-3, 6-2 at No. 3.
In the state final, the Tigers’ singles victories came from junior Ellen Weinstein and Barrett, who each won 6-0, 6-1 decisions. Weinstein defeated Acadia Hall, while Barrett bested Emma Rand. Roychoudhury took a 6-1, 6-4 loss to Claire Dinauer, and Jiaen lost 6-4, 6-2 against Faren Roth.
Once again, Hand swept the doubles side as Riordan and Lang defeated sisters Charlotte and Molly Babbin, 6-1, 7-6; Tracy and Squitiero beat Sam Stofflet and Emily Dietzko 6-2, 7-6, 6-4; and Goldfeder and Karas triumphed over Elaina Griffiths and Annabelle Wang, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, to conclude a campaign that Coach Palmer and her Tigers will remember for years.
“It’s hard to put into words. It’s been a dream season. You aspire for an undefeated year, but you never think you’ll go the whole year without a loss. It couldn’t happen to a better group of girls,” said Palmer, whose other athletes are junior Jennifer Burris and sophomores Catherine Aranow and Clare Nelson. “We knew going in that Guilford would be tough and even tougher on the big stage...In those last doubles matches, you never know who’ll get the better shot, but the girls wanted it so badly and do something no team at Hand has ever done in going undefeated the whole year.”
Roychoudhury handed out high praise to her team’s doubles duos and said the fact that everyone on Hand gets along so well helped the Tigers immensely in their postseason quest.
“Our team this year has had an incredible dynamic. We’ve all been supportive of each other and just looking to have the most fun out on the courts,” said Roychoudhury, an All-SCC honoree, following the Conference Tournament. “Our freshmen are crucial players on the team, and they were really able to step up to the pressure. The first time playing [Amity] this year, we channeled everything [Coach Palmer] had taught us, and we all played with heart. SCCs came around, and we knew we had the potential to win. We just had to focus and do our absolute best. Our doubles teams really held it together, and the girls were supportive of one another. Winning SCCs still feels kind of surreal, and I’m beyond glad that our team got through it with flying colors.”
Head Coach Kitty Palmer echoed Roychoudhury’s sentiments about how Hand’s freshmen played a huge part in the team’s road to the SCC title that culminated with a win against one of its biggest rivals.
“We knew that since we had beaten Amity twice earlier this year, that this would be the toughest one, and Amity is always a tough team. Amity is never easy, and it always seems to be us against them in the final,” said Palmer. “It was a tough battle, but fortunately, our doubles teams and one of our singles players came through. We aren’t where we are without our three freshmen. They are great competitors and will do anything to win. There was definitely a revenge factor because of last year and a lot of pressure.”
Squitiero added that she couldn’t have asked for any more from her send-off season in terms of the Tigers’ dedication to success and one another.
“Me and Renee fought through a lot of difficult matches and grew as players through all the long practices and games. We knew we always had to put in 110 percent because our team had watched our opponents medal as champions last season as we came in second for SCCs and states. We decided that this year we would be the ones in first place,” said Squitiero. “At every step of the way, we were there for each other, and it has been nothing less than an honor to work with this team. We owe so much of our success to Kitty, whether she wants to admit it or not...We are a family. We put in the blood, sweat, and tears this season and it paid off. I loved every minute of it, and I’m so proud of everyone. I’ll be sad to go, but I’ll definitely be back to watch the girls next season.”
Looking back on her team’s perfect season, Coach Palmer feels proud that this tight-knit group of athletes always looked out for each other and welcomed everyone with open arms.
“We have 13 girls on the team, which is the least amount I’ve had, but they were an inclusive group. They had dinners with each other and watched out for one another,” said Palmer. “We had [freshmen Barrett, Riordan, Lang] that made an impact, but the other girls took them right in. As a coach, you coach for years like this. The way they did it and the leadership we had was great.”
From the Sidelines
The Tigers defeated both Amity and Guilford three times this season. Prior to the SCC final, Hand prevailed over Amity 5-2 on April 3 and 6-1 on May 3. The Tigers beat Guilford 4-3 on April 26 and won 5-2 on May 1.
Previously, when the league had a two-division format, Hand won three straight SCC Division I Tournament titles in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Hand also earned SCC Tournament titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010
For state crowns, Hand took home titles in Class M in 2011 and 2012. The Tigers also appeared in state finals in 2001, 2008, and 2016 (all Class M).
The doubles teams of Anna Lang and Sam Riordan, along with Renee Tracy and Grace Squitiero, are competing at the State Open Tournament that got underway this past weekend.