Mount serves up latest win
Girls’ tennis squad is aces in win over Westerly
WOONSOCKET — Legendary Mount St. Charles tennis coach Richard Lawrence coached five girls team state champions, a pair of boys team champions and a host of individual champions, but the current crop of Mounties never learned under his tutelage.
Lawrence, who hadn’t been the head coach of a team since he was in charge of the girls team in 2012, brought back one of his time-tested methods when he took over the boys program in the spring.
“There are five elements of successful tennis in high school and if you believe in them and follow them, you will be successful,” Lawrence said Thursday afternoon.
“I start the season by getting the most athletic person – in the spring it was my son [and current Assumption tennis player] Jacob – and I line them up on the outside line against a freshman or someone who just joined them for a race.
“I’d ask the freshman the first principle of successful tennis, he’d tell me and I’d move him up to the next line on the doubles alley. I’d go to the second, third, fourth and fifth and if he got all the answers – he did because I told him what they were before this started – I’d move him up. They’d race and the freshman would win. It was just a metaphor to show the kids if they embraced what I’m teaching them, they’ll win the race.”
Through the first seven matches of this season, many of the Mount girls are buying into Lawrence’s method and the Mounties are winning matches at a pace they haven’t won at since they reached the state final in 2012. Thursday afternoon against visiting Westerly, the Mounties had no trouble picking up their fifth victory of the Division I season.
The match was over before the second and third doubles teams could play a game because the singles quartet of Isabella Coppolino, Ally Romano, Erin McWhinnie an Maggie Kinnear combined to lose just 14 games in their straight-set victories. Mount also dominated the doubles matches to secure the 7-0 Division I victory.
“We’ve lost to La Salle and East Greenwich and those teams are elite,” said Lawrence, who wouldn’t divulge his five elements to success. “I’m hoping that we can find our way and get there. We’re putting a lot of emphasis on the doubles. We were somewhat competitive with those teams in the doubles matches, so we’re focusing on that. We obviously emphasize everything, but we feel we can take advantage of the doubles matches.”
Mount St. Charles (5-2 Division I) has the luxury of returning its No. 1 singles player, Coppolino, who was a second-team All-State selection last season after reaching the second round of the state tournament. The Cranston native and president of the Mount student body picked up her third win of the season Thursday, besting junior Gianna Ferraro 6-3, 6-3.
Coppolino knew Ferraro had dangerous ground strokes, so the Mount senior tried to keep Ferraro guessing by changing the angle, speed and spin of her shots.
“I tried to mess with her game and change it up a little bit,” Coppolino said. “I tried to locate the ball a lot. I knew she had a really good forehand, so I tried to keep the ball away from that. The big thing for me is to stay mentally tough. I know I don’t act out on the court, but I need to focus in my head and not let a point get to me if I make a mistake.”
Coppolino’s victory over Ferraro clinched the match because her three singles teammates had easy afternoons. Romano, a talented junior who will be looking to make the state tournament at next week’s D-I qualifying tournament, defeated sophomore Lilly Tria, 6-2, 6-3. Kinnear, a senior, produced a 6-0, 6-0 victory at No. 4 singles, while McWhinnie earned a 6-1, 6-1 win.
The No. 1 doubles team of Piper O’Connell and Alex Wyatt earned a 6-0, 6-1 win, while the No. 2 doubles team of Emily Graham and Isabella Chiodo earned a 6-1, 6-1 win. The No. 3 doubles team Tanvi Bhatia and Marykate Tillinghast won 10-6 to close out the afternoon.
Mount is busy next week with matches against Prout Tuesday and Moses Brown Thursday before the qualifying tournament over the weekend.
“This is a great group of girls and really nice kids.” Lawrence said. “They’re so easy to work with, I’m lucky to be with this group. These girls understand the principles I’m trying to teach them.”