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06/03/2017 12:00 AMThe Guilford girls’ tennis team has certainly seen its fair share of the big stage by going on some deep postseason runs in recent years, and the 2017 edition of the Indians proved no exception.
On the heels of a 13-win regular season and a spot in the SCC semis, the Indians earned the No. 12 seed for the Class M State Tournament—the same tournament in which they reached their first state final two years ago and then made the semifinal round last season. After defeating Suffield and North Haven to open the draw, Guilford dispatched Woodstock Academy and Farmington to get back to the championship match for a showdown against No. 2 seed and SCC champion Hand. The state final took place on June 1 at Westbrook, where Hand took the title with a 5-2 victory. The Indians were trailing 3-2 as the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches went to decisive third sets. Hand came away with victories in both contests to clinch the win.
“The match really could’ve gone either way. We had those two three-set matches that were really neck and neck,” said Head Coach Chris Marra, whose team finished 18-8 on the year. “It came down to a few points here and there. It unfortunately for us went their way, but I am so proud of these girls.”
Earning victories for Guilford were senior co-captain Claire Dinauer and junior Faren Roth at No. 1 and 2 singles, respectively. Dinauer netted a 6-1, 6-4 triumph over Ankita Roychoudhury, while Roth won a 6-4, 6-2 decision against Lee Jiaen.
“A key component for us is that we have a group of girls that all want the same thing,” said Coach Marra. “We have seven juniors who play in the lineup, and they are a group that is all friends with each other, which is a big ingredient.”
Elsewhere in singles play, junior Acadia Hall faced Ellen Weinstein and took a 6-0, 6-1 loss for the No. 3 match. At No. 4 singles, junior Emma Rand lost to Annie Barrett, 6-0, 6-1.
For doubles, the sibling tandem of Charlotte and Molly Babbin competed against Sam Riordan and Anna Lang in the No. 1 match and took a 6-1, 7-6 defeat. For the No. 2 match, junior co-captain Sam Stofflet and sophomore Emily Dietzko faced off against Grace Squitiero and Renee Tracy, who prevailed 6-2, 6-7, 6-4. In No. 3 doubles, junior Elaina Griffiths and sophomore Annabelle Wang took a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 loss to Nicki Goldfeder and Nell Karas.
The Indians began the Class M bracket by winning two matches on May 27. First, Guilford defeated No. 21 Suffield 6-1 in the qualifying round. A few hours later, the Indians edged No. 5 North Haven, 4-3, in a first round matchup.
Facing Suffield, Guilford’s wins came from Dinauer (6-0, 6-0), Roth (6-0, 6-0), and Hall (6-2, 6-1), along with the doubles teams of the Babbins (6-1, 6-0), Stofflet and Dietzko (6-0, 6-1), and Griffiths and Wang (6-0, 6-0).
Against North Haven, Roth (6-0, 6-1), the Babbin sisters (6-1, 6-2), Stofflet and Dietzko (6-0, 6-0), and Griffiths and Wang (6-0, 6-0) picked up the victories for Guilford.
After that, Guilford won 7-0 in the quarterfinals against No. 13 Woodstock Academy on May 30. The Indians’ wins came from Dinauer (6-1, 6-2), Roth (6-2, 6-0), Hall (6-3, 6-3), Emma Rand (6-4, 7-5) in singles, as well as the Babbin sisters (6-1, 6-0), Stofflet and Dietzko (6-1, 6-0), and Griffiths and Wang (6-0, 6-1) for doubles.
The Indians then punched their second state final ticket with a 6-1 victory over No. 8 Farmington in the semis on May 31. Wins were delivered by Dinauer (7-5, 6-1), Roth (6-0, 6-3), Hall (7-6, 6-1), the Babbins (6-0, 6-1), Stofflet and Dietzko (6-2, 6-1), and Griffiths and Wang (6-1, 6-3).
“[May 27] was a good day for us. We were worried about North Haven, and it was a tough match, but we won some of the matches convincingly,” Coach Marra said. “Having a home match against Woodstock was a huge break because being on the road constantly can wear you down, and we had a good 7-0 win there.”
Coach Marra said that this season has featured many memorable moments both on and off the court, as his players have stuck together as a cohesive unit, and set the stage for even greater heights next spring.
“This was a really great group of players and student athletes. It’s almost like a second family because you are together with them so much. They get along with each other so well, and there were no discipline issues. It was a pleasure to coach them,” said Marra. “We are fortunate to lose only one player [Dinauer], but a good player, but it bodes well for us and, hopefully, we’ll repeat our success next year.”
Dinauer, Roth, the Babbins, and Stofflet and Dietzko all qualified to play in the State Open Tournament, which began on June 3.