MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Derryfield School girls tennis team has yet to experience a blemish to their overall record this season, and that trend continued into the Division I tournament Friday.
Having earned a first-round bye as the top seed, the Cougars took the courts for the first time this postseason where they hosted and soundly dispatched eighth-ranked Winnacunnett, 9-0.
“The athletes were focused and intent on getting the job done, which was evidenced by a significant overall score improvement from the last regular season match that we played against the same team,” said Moral.
Indeed, the Cougars defeated the same Winnacunnet squad, 8-1, in the regular-season finale on May 18. Not only did the overall score improve, but so did the Cougars’ play, said Moral.
“In both singles and doubles, our athletes were poised and when needed to recalibrate, were quick to do so,” he said.
Sophia Correnti, the Cougars’ top player, led the effort with an 8-3 win over Winnacunnet’s Stella Sebeny, while Julia Hardy and Sophie Brown shutout Emily Barnes and Lindsey Hepburn , on the second and third courts, respectively.
No. 4 Mady Molina edged Abaynesh O’Connor, 9-8 (7-2), in the tightest match of the day, while No. 5 Phoebe Blake defeated Grace O’Connor, 8-3, and No. 6 Maya Marsden trumped Amelia Dumont by the same score.
In doubles action, Hardy and Correnti won, 8-5, Molina and Brown triumphed, 8-1 and Anna Induni and Blake earned an 8-4 victory.
“Winning this quarterfinal final is significant for Derryfield as it puts us in our second consecutive semifinal match, to which we are looking forward to perform to the best of our ability.”
The Cougars are now set to host Manchester Central in the D-I semifinals Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Derryfield courts.
The Little Green provided the Cougars with one of their tightest contests of the season, winning three of nine matches on April 11.
The victor of the city clash advances to play the winner of second-ranked Dover and sixth-ranked Hanover in the D-I finale at Southern New Hampshire University Thursday at 4 p.m.
The Cougars last championship came in 2017. They fell to Bedford in the 2019 title tilt.