Westford boys: Trust pays off
When the Westford Academy boys’ tennis team opened the season with one win in its first seven matches, star junior Connor Liona’s belief in his teammates never wavered — even as his individual excellence failed to translate to team success.
One month later, his trust has paid off in a big way.
Behind Liona’s dominance at first singles (6-2, 6-0), a win from Saunak Manna at second singles (7-6, 6-0), and a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 rally by Will Owen at No. 3 in the clincher, the ninth-seeded Ghosts beat No. 8 Needham in a 3-2 thriller in the second round of the Division 1 tournament.
Now riding a nine-game win streak following Tuesday’s nearly three-hour match at Newman Elementary School in Needham, Westford Academy (10-6) will take on top-ranked Brookline (19-0) in the quarterfinals.
“All I can do is go out there, and make sure I get my win and do my part,” Liona said. “Then I just trust the guys, and they’ve been playing really, really well lately. We’ve been building momentum into the state tournament, and it’s clicking at the right time.”
Manna struggled before winning the first set in a 7-3 tiebreaker and cracking the match wide open. Manna’s season trajectory mirrors the Ghosts’ team itself — after losing three of his first four matches while battling an elbow injury, the sophomore has won all 12 second-singles matches since.
Division 4 State
Manchester Essex 4, Monomoy 1 — Jack Cummins won at first singles (6-4, 6-3) and Charlie Virden triumphed at second (6-2, 6-3), lifting the eighth-seeded Hornets (14-7) to a secondround victory.
Weston 5, Bartlett 0 — Max Ding notched a 6-1, 6-0 win as the top-ranked Wildcats (18-0) triumphed in the second round.
Girls’ tennis Division 1 State
Boston Latin 5, Central Catholic 0 — Halina Nguyen and Vanessa Vu both won their singles matches 6-0, 6-0, lifting the top-ranked Wolfpack (18-0).
Lexington 5, Newton North 0 — Sophomores Angie Eamranond and Sally Choi rolled, 6-0, 6-0, at second doubles to help the fifthseeded Minutemen (21-1) to a second-round victory.
Wellesley 4, Brookline 1 — Junior Masha Shutts (6-3, 6-7, 6-4) won at first singles to clinch the match, and sophomore Sarah Mackey (5-7, 6-4, 6-4) rallied at second singles, propelling the fourth-seeded Raiders (20-1) to a second-round win.
Division 2 State
Notre Dame (Hingham) 3, Scituate2 — Amelia Maw won the deciding point at first singles, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, for the 10th-seeded Cougars (14-4) in the secondround win over No. 7 Sailors (17-3). Sophia Lirio prevailed at second singles, 6-1, 6-0, and Lily Studebaker and Skye Bunge won at second doubles, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Division 3 State
Foxborough 3, Wilmington 2 — Hayley Kornbluth’s 6-0, 6-0 win helped the 15th-seeded Warriors (12-7) to a first-round victory in Woburn. Both doubles pairings notched victories for Foxborough.
North Reading 3, Belchertown 2 — Sophomore Althea Bradley (1-6, 6-1, 6-2) rallied at first singles, propelling the 13th-seeded Hornets (12-10) to a secondround win. Senior captains Chloe Florez and Katherine Hoadley (6-2, 3-6, 6-2) triumphed at first doubles and senior captain Alyssa Bradley (6-1, 6-4) won at second singles.