SOUTH HADLEY — Top-seeded South Hadley fell to No. 4 Lee, 4-1, on Tuesday in the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Girls Tennis Tournament semifinals at Mount Holyoke College.
South Hadley trailed 2-0 after Caroline Robitaille was defeated by Anna Wang of Lee 6-2, 6-0 in the first singles match and Hailey Werenski was defeated by Suriana Lee 6-2, 6-1 at second singles.
The Tigers had to win the three remaining matches to keep their season alive, but the Wildcats clinched the victory with a win at second doubles when Emma Parenteau and Ali Descheneaux were defeated by Cindy Ni and Caroline Maloney 6-1, 6-4.
South Hadley finished 17-5.
Lee (13-4) will play the winner of Thursday’s semifinal between No. 3 and defending champion Belchertown (16-5) and No. 2 Monument Mountain (12-0) in the championship. A date and time for the finals has yet to be determined.
The Tigers avoided the shutout with a win at first doubles, the last match to finish. Hanna Dahrouge and Aislinn Ford defeated Angie Nejaime and Maddie DeSantis 6-1, 6-3.
Kaylin Cousineau was defeated in the third singles match 6-1, 6-4 by Ava Martin.
South Hadley coach Eric Cestero said that it’s difficult to prepare for a team like Lee when he doesn’t see them often.
“I was just looking to get to the playoffs and work from there, like I’ve always done in the past,” Cestero said. “As the first seed sometimes you have an advantage and sometimes you have a disadvantage depending on which side of the bracket you land on. This year we’re on the side where we’ve had to play all the teams from the Berkshire area that we’ve never played before. This is the first time we’ve played Lee since last year in the semifinals so it’s hard to see how they look.”
South Hadley won the 2016 semifinal 3-2.
“I didn’t really know what to expect in doubles, but in singles I felt like this was going to be a really tough, close match,” Lee coach Norma Comalli said. “There was really no game plan except for teamwork, I told the girls that we need every point and everyone’s important because they’re all so evenly matched.”
Cestero had a message for his team entering the offseason.
“They have to continue practicing, they have to continue hitting and getting ready for next year,” he said. “They have to continue getting better if they don’t want to come back in March and start over. That’s not going to work, in tennis that’s not going to work.”
It was the final high school match seniors Rabitaille, Dahrouge and Parenteau.
Cestero said he will keep the positions open entering the 2018 season.
“I don’t make that lineup, they make that lineup. I challenged them right there. All three singles are up for grabs and both doubles are up for grabs,” Cestero said. “So everybody knows that if they want to get on that court and look good, they have to get ready for that. They can’t wait for next march.”
Lee 4, South Hadley 1
at Mount Holyoke
First singles: Anna Wang (L) def. Caroline Robitaille, 6-2, 6-0; Second singles: Surianna Lee (L) def. Hailey Werenski, 6-2, 6-1; Third singles: Ava Martin (L) def. Kaylin Cousineau, 6-1, 6-4; First doubles: Hannah Dahrouge and Aislinn Ford (S) def. Angie Nejaime and Maddie DeSantis, 6-1, 6-3; Second doubles: Cindy Ni and Caroline Maloney (L) def. Emma Parenteau and Ali Descheneaux, 6-1, 6-4
Records: Lee (13-4) South Hadley (17-5)