MANCHESTER, NH – It’s been 15 years since the NHIAA Division I girls tennis championship match did not feature either Bedford High School or Derryfield School.
That trend continued Monday as the two powerhouses once again secured spots in the title tilt, marking the third-straight season they will meet for the state crown.
After losing the last two championship meetings, the top-ranked and undefeated Bulldogs appear especially determined to unseat their familiar foe following a perfect regular season, highlighted by dominant 8-1 and 9-0 victories over No. 8 Exeter and No. 4 Hanover in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
For its part, second-seeded Derryfield, which blanked No. 9 Salem, 9-0 last Thursday, had to get past upstart three-seed Bishop Guertin (12-2), winners of 13 straight matches after opening the season with identical 6-3 losses to Wednesday’s championship participants.
That semifinal showdown took place at Derryfield, where Neha Veeranna, Sofia Koshy and Sarina Punjabi posted identical 8-2 victories over BG’s Georgie Howell, Jaclyn Kriscuinas and Dayana Cottito on the second, third and fifth singles courts, respectively.
Bishop Guertin’s Ainsley Flood kept her team in the match with an 8-2 win of her own over Marissa Wu on the sixth court, and the drama soon followed.
At No. 4 singles, Lydia Miller rallied for a 9-7 (8-6) victory over Pola Jankowska, and Anna Perrott edged Annie Lin, 8-6, on the top court to send the match into doubles tied at three points apiece.
There, the hosts proved too strong for the challengers.
On the No. 1 court, Koshy and Lin earned an 8-4 victory over Perrott and Howell, while Jankowska and Veeranna cruised to an 8-2 win to clinch the match. Cottito and Flood rallied for a 9-7 victory on the third court, but by then the outcome had already been decided.
Now the rabid Bulldogs – who defeated the Cougars, 5-4 on May 11 – await as the D-I championship commences at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Southern New Hampshire University.
Check back for more on the match, including comments from the coaches and photos from Stacy Harrison.