Updates after press time:
Lynnfield defeats Danvers 3-2 (April 17)
Lynnfield defeats Pentucket 4-1 (April 16)
Lynnfield defeats North Reading 5-0 (April 14)
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The girls’ tennis team remains undefeated to begin the season after the Pioneers won both of its matches last week.
“We are off to a good start,” said Pioneers head coach Craig Stone. “Except for senior captain Paige Martino and captain Lily Alves, the rest of the team is in a new position or playing with a new partner, and everyone is meeting the new challenge with a positive attitude and a willingness to embrace the concept of TEAM (Together Each Achieves More).”
Lynnfield (4-0) began last week defeating Ipswich 4-1 on April 9.
Martino won her first singles match in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.
Alves defeated her second singles counterpart in two sets, 6-2, 6-3.
“Both Paige and Lily had similar types of matches with their opponents playing them even throughout the first half of each set, but the Pioneer pair each pulled away towards the end for straight set wins,” said Stone. “Paige controlled baseline play with topspin groundstrokes, while Lily combined topspin and slice to control the pace of play.”
Freshman Kami Khiat won her third singles match in three sets. After losing the first set 2-6, Khiat won the second set 6-4 and cruised to a 6-0 victory in the third set.
“Kami dropped the first set, but settled down to win her first career three-set match, as she began to create offense using depth and direction on her strokes,” said Stone.
Senior captain Ella Hayman and junior Vicky McCrann lost their first doubles match in two sets, 1-6, 5-7.
Juniors Fiona Asaad and Nandana Nishanth won their second doubles match in two sets, 6-4, 6-3.
“Fiona and Nandana made their 2025 debut,” said Stone. “Both players earned a varsity letter last year, and had a tight match while leading in both sets all the way.”
Stone said the Pioneers and Tigers played “a competitive match across the board.”
“Ipswich is a very good team,” said Stone. “Ipswich traditionally reaches the Elite Eight in state tournament play. We need to have competitive matches like this throughout the season to be ready for tournament play as well.”
Defeats Beverly
The Pioneers kept rolling and defeated Beverly 5-0 on April 10.
“We had impressive play all-around,” said Stone. “We lost 4-1 to Beverly last year, and they returned all five starters.”
Martino dismantled her first singles opponent in two sets, 6-0, 6-3.
“Paige dominated from start to finish and was back to being the first match finished after hitting topspin winners off the forehand and backhand,” said Stone.
Alves won her second singles match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
“Lily won a rematch from last year,” said Stone. “While facing the same player in 2024, Lily lost a two-and-a-half hour, three-set match. What a difference a year can make. The match was finished in half the time, which demonstrates the effect working in the offseason can have.”
McCrann got the start at third singles, and won her match in two sets, 6-4, 6-0.
“Vicky edged out a first set win, and then won the next six games by dominating all aspects of the game,” said Stone.
Hayman and Khiat won their first doubles match in three sets. After winning the first set 6-3, Hayman and Khiat lost the second set 3-6. Hayman and Khiat won the third set 11-9.
“Ella and Kami split sets in first doubles, and played a 10-point tiebreaker,” said Stone. “Ella and Kami were down 4-6 in the tiebreaker, and they kept drawing even. Beverly would pull ahead until it was tied 9-9, but that is when the Pioneer pair won the last two points. It was a battle of adjustments throughout the match, with Ella and Kami showcasing their flexibility in alignment and strategy.”
Freshmen Kathleen Brown and Christine Choi won their second doubles match in two sets, 6-4, 6-2.
“Kathleen and Christine played a closely battled first set, but led from start to finish in the second set,” said Stone. “This freshmen pair shows both poise and power.”
Stone commended the Pioneers’ play on the court against the Panthers.
“It was a good win over a good team,” said Stone. “All of the matches were competitive and everyone was able to come away learning a little bit more about themselves and what they need to work on to improve.”