New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Amity repeats
Spartans remain unbeaten
WOODBRIDGE — Bella Sicignano sat out Monday’s victory over Lauralton Hall to rest what she said was a pulled muscle in her back suffered on Saturday.
The No. 2 singles player wasn’t about to miss the season’s most important match on Tuesday afternoon. Sicignano swept Guilford’s Callie Kagan in straight sets, helping top seed Amity defeat No. 2 Guilford 7-0 to win the SCC tournament championship for the second straight year on its home court.
Sicignano also earned SCC tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.
“I really wanted to play 2 singles for the team,” said Sicignano, who had a bag of ice on the knot after the match. “During warmpus there was (tightness), but I think it loosened up during warmups and by the time the match started, I was feeling good.”
Said Amity coach Harold Freedman: “(Sicignano) really toughed it out today. She’s still not quite herself out there. She hits a beautiful ball and she certainly deserved the MOP.”
Amity (21-0) was expected to be the best team in the league this season, returning Sicignano at No. 2 singles and Kiley Pickens, last year’s Register Area MVP, at No. 1. Neither player lost a match during the season.
There are also the trio of Wijesekera sisters: Adithi and Soumya, who swept matches at No. 3 and 4 singles, respectively, and Aadya, who teamed with Scarlett Zhai to win at No. 1 doubles.
“The kid (Soumya) played today (Molly Peterson) hadn’t lost to anybody in the league except for Soumya. She would be playing really high on a lot of teams, but on our team, she is 4 (singles) and is dominating the field.”
It all added up to a season where the Spartans dropped just four games and went unbeaten in the tournament.
“I know things work in cycles and really at the top of the cycle with this team,” Freedman said. “They enjoy each other’s company, they do a lot of things together. Winning is really always part of the equation, but I think these kids would do things together with (each) other even if they didn’t win quite as much.”
Guilford (17-6) lost both matches during the regular season to Amity, but was the first SCC team other than Amity or Hand to reach the tournament final (or Division I when the divisions were split) since Lauralton Hall won in 2015.
“We had a great season. We knew it would be an uphill battle today,” Guilford coach Chris Marra said. “They played their hearts out. Against a dominant team like Amity, we’re happy with the way we played. … Everything we have done this week is good for us in terms of building momentum toward Class L.”
The Spartans now have their sights set on the Class LL state championship. They have never won one, coming very close last year, falling to Staples 4-3 in the final.
Amity is going to be the top seed in Class LL.
“I think for some of them, they want the unfinished business and try to win the state tournament,” Freedman said. “I think for me, it’s a question of being a team that really is a special team. Win or lose in the finals of states is second to that.”
Guilford is looking to be the No. 5 seed in the Class L division
“For me seeding is more about being home than traveling,, but also about being in a bracket where I think we have a chance to do well. This year, we have some tough competition but I think we will match up well against anybody in that draw,” Marra said.