Clippers cruise past Northmen
Cumberland eyeing rematch vs. Crusaders
CUMBERLAND — It’s been 25 years since a Cumberland girls tennis team claimed a championship of any kind.
Junior Olivia Rajabiun, sophomore Amiah Sommer, coach Justin Houle and this season’s edition of Clippers are out to end the drought. One season after losing to undefeated Prout in the Division II championship, the Clippers are off to an undefeated start where they’ve dominated nearly every opponent.
Wednesday’s opponent, 2014 and 2015 Division III champion North Smithfield, lost just one match prior to its trip to Tucker Field. Cumberland’s trio of undefeated singles players – Sommer, Casey Farrell and Alli Mowry – all secured straight-set victories in a 6-1 Division II victory over the Northmen.
“I knew we had a good team going into the season, so I knew with the right kind of practice and attitude and mindset we could play this well,” Houle said. “I knew all the singles players were going to do great even though most of them played doubles last season.
“These girls have a ton of motivation. I told them before the season I was sick of looking at the runners-up medal. We were so close last year.”
Cumberland (8-0 Division II) has won every match by at least a 5-2 score and the Clippers have won five matches 7-0. The squad is led by a pair of underclassmen in Rajabiun and Sommer who played a big part in the run to last season’s title match.
Sommer, who played No. 1 doubles as a freshman, was particularly impressive.
The sophomore downed senior Alyana Kozlik 6-1, 6-2 thanks to a tremendous serve and pin-point ground strokes.
“The goal is just to stay consistent and just have fun,” Sommer said. “I played every day over the summer because I wanted to reach my goal, so I got a lot better. I worked on everything I could. It’s all about being consistent and getting power with my forehand. Today was my best serving day.”
North Smithfield (5-2 Division II) went into the final week of preseason without a coach after Ryan Rafanelli did not return following his first year with the program. The Northmen were desperate for someone to take over and they ended up getting lucky because a Division I tennis player just happened to move to the area.
Galina Plunkett, who played No. 1 singles for the University of Rhode Island before finishing her career last season at Temple, became the team’s coach in late August and has quickly established the squad as a playoff contender in Division II.
“This is fun. I enjoy it,” said Plunkett, who is originally from the Russian city of Tomsk in Siberia. “I’m happy to make an impact on the girls. The girls were ready to play, which was great because I got the job so late. I wish I got the job earlier because these girls didn’t get the opportunity to play late in the summer like other girls do.”
Plunkett, whose maiden name is Chernykh, has been particularly impressed with the play of junior No. 1 singles player Brianna Boudreau. After spending her first two seasons playing No. 2 singles behind current RIC starter Hailey Raskob, Boudreau jumped up to the top spot and owns a 5-2 record.
Wednesday, Boudreau handed Rajabiun her second loss of the season with an impressive 6-3, 6-3 victory. Boudreau said the step up to No. 1 singles has been an adjustment, but she’s enjoying the challenge.
“I’ve been trying to work on being more consistent because that’s what coach has been working on with me,” Boudreau said. “In the past, I’ve had trouble with that. It feels different to be at No. 1 because it seems like there’s a big difference between teams’ No. 1 and No. 2 players.”
The Clippers secured the victory before the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams could finish a set. Farrell produced a comprehensive 6-0, 6-2 victory over Brianna Venditti and Mowry earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Piper LaBarre.
The undefeated No. 1 doubles team of Salma Taghzout and Blaisedel Frampton earned a 6-0, 6-1 victory, while Graciela Sosa and Hannah LaRose recorded a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles.
Houle said his No. 3 doubles team is still up in the air because Junior Laura Frampton will become eligible next week after transferring from the Lincoln School. As it is, Trista Rock and Briana Nuay earned Wednesday’s victory at No. 3 doubles.
The Clippers head to Chariho Friday afternoon before they return to Tucker Field Tuesday to take on twotime defending Division II champion Prout. The Crusaders, just like the Clippers, are undefeated.
“We’re definitely preparing for that match and we know it’s going to be a tough one,” Sommer said. “We have to go in with the right mindset.”
The Northmen, who are in second place in D-II Suburban B, look to start a new winning streak tomorrow at home against playoff hopeful Toll Gate.
“I’m trying to make these girls competitive,” Plunkett said. “You usually see that in boys in high school, but I’m really pushing that with these girls. I’m tough with the kids who are ready to accept it and want to improve and aren’t just here to play.”