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Warriors Were Looking to Dominate in 2020

The Valley Regional girls’ tennis team had an incredible season in 2019 that included a 22-2 overall record a trip to the Class S State Tournament final. The Warriors were also named regular season co-champions along with Old Lyme and saw three of its athletes win Shoreline Conference Tournament championships in the No. 3-4 singles as well as the doubles brackets. Even after graduating a handful of talented seniors, Valley was in a good position to have a similar year in 2020. Unfortunately, the spring season was canceled due to COVID-19 before Head Coach Sally Riggio’s squad could hit the court.

Coach Riggio knew that the Warriors had a fantastic 2019 campaign, but she really believed that 2020 could have been even better. Valley had the talent to make another deep run in states, and some of the obstacles that had previously posed major challenges would no longer be a factor.

“I thought that we were perfectly positioned to win states this year. I say that because Weston and Stonington were moved up to the Class M bracket, and I just knew how dedicated and deep my team would have been,” said Riggio. “I had five seniors with experience, and they were competitive and perfectly positioned to just dominate. This was supposed to be quite a swan song.”

Two major factors in the Warriors’ success this year would have been senior captains Caroline Baldwin and Jill deJongh. Coach Riggio had already seen how seriously they took their roles during the offseason, and she’s disappointed that the senior pair wouldn’t get the chance to show their leadership on the court.

“Caroline Baldwin and Jill deJongh were so attentive out-of-season. I was really looking forward to their dynamic leadership during the season. We had a lot of freshmen sign up this year,” Riggio said. “I was really excited for the freshmen to be a part of the team and get to know all the seniors, but Caroline and Jill were and amazing sisterhood that came together.”

Baldwin had held the No. 2 singles position last year, and was in position to step into the No. 1 spot this year. Coach Riggio had high hopes for the senior captain.

“Caroline would have definitely been No. 1 singles, and I honestly thought she had the potential to win the 1-2 Shoreline bracket,” Riggio said. “It was just because of sheer skill and her mental fortitude. It’s really a rare combination.”

Coach Riggio also thought the deJongh would have ample opportunity to contribute to match wins with her three-year doubles partner junior Alex Halsey. Coach Riggio also had another effective doubles in junior Taylor Harpin and senior Brynn Steevels.

“I had two doubles teams poised to be another all-Valley Shoreline final like last season. Jill was returning for her third year with Alex Halsey. Having a pair together that long is rare, which was going to be their best asset. They are dynamic together. It does make a difference to have that time together and know what your partner is going to do and trusting that,” Riggio said. “I had envisioned Taylor Harpin and Brynn Steevles would have made a really great partnership like that as well. I thought they would bring the best out of each other and give everyone a wicked run for their money, including Jill and Alex.”

Competing with Baldwin for the top singles spot throughout the season would have been senior Myah Martinez. Coach Riggio felt that Martinez was another tremendous talent for Valley, and having Baldwin and Martinez practicing against each other all year would have helped improve both of their games.

“I adore Myah. My hope was that it would all come together for her this season. She has a beautiful stroke with really good power. She’s a really good sport, and she’s such a great team member in encouraging all the girls,” said Riggio. “She always has a smile on her face and ready to give a compliment. She and Caroline would going to give each other a good run near the top of the ladder between No. 1 and No. 2.”

Coach Riggio believed that her anticipated No. 3 singles player, junior Ada Ramos, wasn’t that far from challenging Baldwin or Martinez for one of their positions. That’s a tough trio, and other teams would really have to earn their wins against it.

“I see Ada easily sliding into No. 3 singles. She was a Shoreline Tournament finalist as a freshman, and she was the one of our doubles champions last year,” said Riggio. “She was in a good position. Ada could have been have easily been in the mix up at the top, too.”

Another player that Coach Riggio foresaw vying for a singles position was senior Honor Reilly. Coach Riggio knew that Reilly had been training diligently during the offseason, and she could claim the last singles spot.

“I know that she was working very hard during the offseason to secure a singles position. She had several singles matches last year as a varsity alternate and did so well,” said Riggio. “She was working very hard on closing points and on her ability to focus and play to win. That’s hard to learn. I had great hope for her.”

The Warriors crop of upcoming freshmen also showed plenty of promise. Coach Riggio felt encouraged about all of her underclass athletes like freshmen Samara Shankar, Olivia Baldwin, and Maddy McCuin, as well as sophomore Paige Lombardi.

“I was excited for the freshmen that I had coming in. I hadn’t seen them play yet, but Olivia Baldwin is Caroline’s sister and their entire family plays tennis,” said Riggio. “Samara Shankar was an exciting young player who’s very tall, and I saw her as being able to win a lot of rallies. Maddy McCuin was a sophomore, and this was going to be her first year. Paige Lombardi was coming back to the team as well.”

While the Warriors had many apparent strengths, Coach Riggio knows that the biggest challenge for any tennis player is staying focused and adapting on the fly.

“That is always the challenge in tennis; maintaining your mental focus regardless of what’s happening around you,” said Riggio. “You also have to try to bring some stroke diversity when you’re getting nailed in the corner. As a coach, you heighten their awareness to how someone is beating them and help develop and adapt their game to throw the other person off and change the momentum.”

As for what happens next, Coach Riggio—who’s also the Valley Regional School Nurse—is acutely aware that the most important thing going forward is that everyone stays safe and healthy. Whenever the Warriors are able to take the court, she knows they’ll be ready to play.

“I feel like there’s so much, not only with the pandemic but the current climate. This is bigger than tennis, and we all have a civic duty to ensure that we are protecting the health and safety of our communities. I feel badly for the kids that this eclipses their milestones, but the opportunity to mold and shape a better future is worth the sacrifice. I know every single one of my players would say the exact same thing, all the seniors included,”said Riggio. “Next year, it will be like starting brand new. The only games I know inside and out are Taylor, Alex, and Ada. We will be resilient. Even if it isn’t a great season, we’ll have a great time.”