An All-Bears affair
Dellacono wins third straight singles title while Goodman-Johnstone claim doubles
Stonington — The Eastern Connecticut Conference girls' tennis tournament served as a showcase for the Stonington High School program.
Friday's championship was an All-Bears affair in both singles and doubles.
"Great day for Stonington," coach George Crouse said before presenting the awards to the winners.
Junior Gabby Dellacono rolled to her third straight singles crown, beating teammate Charlotte Johnstone, the second seed, 6-0, 6-1.
After hugging at the conclusion of their match, Dellacono and Johnstone sat on the court to watch the end of the doubles match.
The top-seeded duo of junior Ainsley Johnstone — Charlotte's cousin — and senior Margot Goodman knocked off teammates Phoebe Townsend and Brie Fratoni-Jaskiewicz, 6-3, 6-3, to win their first ECC doubles crown.
"We've had a very strong team all year, as you can see," said Crouse, who's preparing his team for a deep run in the state tournament, hosting a first-round match in Class S on Saturday.
Dellacono looked sharp despite dealing with an annoying blister on the palm of her right hand. It bothered her at times, forcing her to adjust her game. Still, she made very few errors and consistently hit wellplaced winners that Johnstone had no shot at returning.
"It's getting better, but I can
still hit backhands," said Dellacono, who got the blister while playing in a national tournament on Sunday in Virginia. "My coach wants me to work on my slice anyway."
In her three ECC finals, Dellacono has lost just four games, two to Johnstone whom she defeated last year by the same score. If not for her immensely talented teammate, Johnstone would be a two-time ECC champion instead of two-time runner-up.
Dellacono's footwork has improved from a year ago, according to Crouse.
"Gabby is one of the top players in the state," Crouse said. "I thought Charlotte played actually very, very well. But Gabby just has the power . ... Charlotte was trying to get her one game and she got her one game. Gabby has only lost two games all year so far."
Of course, it's never easy to face your teammate in the final.
Just ask the Bears. "It was very weird playing the people that we practice with, our teammates turning into our opponents," Goodman said.
But they managed to make it an enjoyable experience.
"It's funny, I think, mostly," Charlotte Johnstone said of facing Dellacono. "Maybe a little awkward, I don't know. What do you think?"
Dellacono answered: "I think it's awkward but at the same time it's fun."
They both watched each others' game grow since they last met in the ECC championship match last May. Dellacono, the State Open runner-up last season, is even harder to play now then before.
"I think she got a lot better," Charlotte Johnstone said. "She dominated last year and she's dominating this year, too. I think her serve is really strong. Just overall, she doesn't really miss, ever. Right now, she has a really bad blister, so she's doing slice backhands. Usually her backhand is really good, too. Just all-around, she's really good."
Dellacono will have to beat someone else beside Johnston to earn her fourth ECC singles next year.
"It's going to be sad," Charlotte Johnstone said of not being to play with Dellacono again. "But I'll come watch if I'm available."
The comment made both Johnstone and Dellacono crack up.
Goodman and Ainsley Johnstone also are close friends as well as teammates, so it's no surprise that good chemistry is one of their strengths.
"We've been playing together since we were 10 at our yacht club, so we've always known each other," Goodman said. "We know our strengths and weaknesses, like Ainsley has a great serve and I'm pretty good at net. Ainsley gets those great cross-court shots.
"We're both speedy, so that's really our biggest asset."
They emerged as Stonington's No. 1 doubles duo during the season by knocking off Townsend and Fratoni-Jaskiewicz in a practice challenge match. Their second-seeded teammates made Goodman and Johnstone work for the title.
"It was definitely a competitive match," Ainsley Johnstone said. "It wasn't easy."
With a successful ECC tournament behind them, the Bears will turn their focus to challenging for a state title. Last season, they lost in the semifinals to Weston, 4-3.
"We got a nice draw," Crouse said. "We don't have to face Weston right away. We're happy. We'll start off (Saturday) and hope nobody gets hurt and nobody gets sick, and hope we play up to our potential. We should move deep into the tournament." g.keefe@theday.com