District 11 championship goes to Moravian Academy again
Historically, the Moravian Academy tennis program has relied on talented doubles teams to push through the district and state playoffs.
According to head coach Rick Brown, this season is no different for the Lions’ girls team.
That depth was certainly on display Tuesday afternoon in the District 11 Class 2A finals against Bethlehem Catholic. Backed by two straightset wins in doubles, the host Lions knocked off the Golden Hawks3-0 en route to a secondstraight title.
“Doubles are critical points and we know we have to win both,” Brown said. “We focus on our doubles teams every day at practice. We constantly practice court positioning, serving and just hitting the right shots.”
District 11 Class 2A singles champion Chessie Bartolacci got the Lions off to a quick start when she knocked off Shannon Stewart 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 singles.
The two met a couple weeks ago in the district singles finals, which resulted in a similar outcome, but this time around, Bartolacci was happier with her performance.
“There wasn’t any wind this time, which made it easier for meto hit the ball deeper. I could hit harder, too,” Bartolacci said. “This was the best outcome for me [against Stewart] and it’s all I can ask for.”
Moravian Academy’s No. 1 doubles team of DeDee Hoffman-Yan Yu were off the court next after posting a convincing 6-4, 6-1 win over Alexa Schoenfield-Maddie Lennert.
With a 2-0 lead, the Lions looked to the No. 2 doubles team of Grace Wright-Sophia Brands.
After battling through a tough 7-5 win over Patricia Superka and Cecile Szollas in the first set, the enthusiastic tandem relied on fan support to get through an intense second set.
“I really think it helped when everyone came over and started cheering and supporting us,” Brands said. “We have great chemistry and I think that’s what helps us in every match.”
Up 5-2 in the second, Brands strung together a series of solid points on her serve to close out the set and clinch the team title.
Winning big matches together isn’t anything new for Wright and Brands. The two played together in last year’s postseason as well.
“A really good component for us is that we’ve been best friends since sixth grade,” Wright said. “Wehave that over our opponents and we always have a lot of positivity when we play together.”
With the team match already clinched, the No. 1 and 3 singles matches did not finish.
At No. 1 singles, Isabella Bartolacci battled through a leg injury against a top-notch opponent in Cara Magliochetti. Last year’s singles champion Bartolacci won the first set 6-4, but trailed in the second at 2-5.
The No. 3 singles match saw Moravian Academy’s Jamilie Atiyeh win a relatively easy first set 6-1 before Taylor Adams stormed back to take the second 6-4
Moravian Academy now advances to the PIAA Class 2A tournament. The Lions will begin their quest for state gold Monday with a first round matchup against the District 1 champion.