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05/13/2024 12:40 AM

Boys’ Tennis Earns Two Big Wins, Softball Has a Tough Week


Tomas Dahl has been a dominant force in the No. 1 singles position for Valley boys’ tennis, as he recently earned a 6-3, 6-1 victory in the team’s 6-1 win over Coginchaug on May 10. Photo courtesy of Laura Matesky

Boys’ Tennis

Valley boys’ tennis hosted Morgan on May 7 and won 4-3. Singles wins came from Tomas Dahl at No. 1 and Deryck Llivichuzkha at No. 3. No. 1 doubles pairing of Eddie Johnson and Shepard Whitney earned a victory, as did Ryan Poulin and Nic Cartagena.

On May 10, the team traveled to Coginchaug and won 6-1. Dahl won at No. 1 singles (6-3, 6-1). Luis Taverner earned a No. 2 singles win (6-1, 6-1), while Llivichuzkha won 2-6, 2-6 at No. 3 singles. The doubles teams swept the board. Johnson and Whitney won 6-4, 6-1. Willem Fitton and Poulin earned a 2-6, 6-3, tiebreak 10-4 win. Jonah Morrissey and Cartagena won 6-0, 6-0.

Softball

The Valley softball team traveled to Haddam-Killingworth on May 6 and lost 12-0. Riley Soares, Kellyn Kolber, and Taylor Rae each recorded a hit in the contest. Addison Hardman pitched four innings, giving up 13 hits and 12 earned runs.

On May 8, the team hosted North Branford and fell 22-0. Hardman pitched five innings in the game.

The Warriors closed out the week on May 10, hosting Hale Ray and falling 8-1. Amelia Giantonio recorded an RBI, and Raegan Wyrebek-Brasky had a hit. Kolber pitched three innings, and Hardman pitched four.

Girls’ Tennis

The Valley girls’ tennis team traveled to Portland on May 6 and defeated the Highlanders 7-0 for the second time this season, allowing Portland to win just nine games to Valley’s 84.

The next day, the team traveled to Morgan and won 7-0 in just two sets. Valley’s doubles lineup was not the usual pairings due to two starters being unavailable, but the girls still got the job done.

The first doubles due of junior Regan Grow and sophomore Ella Smith convincingly won 6-1, 6-1. Grow normally plays with Ella's twin sister, Hannah, and it was a seamless change of sisters for an easy win. The No. 2 doubles team featured junior Sophia Bonanno playing with sophomore Alana Martinez, and after working hard in the first set to win 6-4, they settled into a rhythm and easily won the second set 6-1. “Alana typically plays in third doubles but stepped up to work with Sophia and did great,” said Head Coach Sage Novak. “Sophia is an experienced junior player and is a very supportive teammate.”

The third doubles pairing consisted of the two top alternates in sophomores Ella Martinez and Sydney Liggett. They have had experience playing together this season due to various vacations and illnesses and play very well together. They stepped up once again and took the win 6-3, 6-4 which leaves them with a 3-1 record as a team this season in match play. “Both these players have a bright future on the team and are always ready to jump into action and do their part,” said Novak.

The Warriors ended the week at Haddam-Killingworth on May 10, and they again collected a 7-0 victory. Due to part of the first doubles team attending a prom, Valley had the opportunity to pair both sets of sophomore twins as teams. Twin Day proved a winning combination for the Warriors, and the sisters were all psyched to be able to partner with their twin.

The first doubles team was Ella and Hannah Smith, and they combined for a perfect score of 6-0, 6-0. No. 2 doubles had Bonanno and Hannah Faucher working well together, and they won 6-0, 6-2. This pairing also found success in the very first match of the season against Coginchaug, so they were able to book-end the season playing together for a second win. At No. 3 doubles, the second set of twins in Alana and Ella Martinez competed. They finished with a perfect score of 6-0, 6-0 and really enjoyed playing together for the first time all season.

Valley’s singles players wrapped up their regular season with an almost perfect score of 48-1. They quickly dispatched their opponents with No. 1 singles, senior captain Joanna Petrone, winning 6-0, 6-1. Second singles, senior captain Natalie Novak, won 6-0, 6-0, and No. 3 singles, senior Clara Shea, was victorious with a score of 6-0, 6-0. No. 4 singles, freshman Riley Russell, swept 6-0, 6-0.

Novak is proud of the way her squad stayed focused all season long and overcame obstacles to continue to tally wins on its record.

“We are very proud of finishing our regular season at 12-2 and are looking forward to competing in the Shoreline tournament beginning Monday, May 20,” Novak said. “We have a week to practice and prepare. It's a little tough not having any match play to keep our level of competition at its peak, but the team will continue challenging each other during practices. Our captains agree that it's the best way to stay at the top of your game and work on certain strategies. The Warriors’ players are full of ability, and so there is no shortage of friendly and tough competition during practice. We'll be ready for Shorelines when the day arrives.”