Search the site...

Josh Howard Sports
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact

RHAM Tennis Takes Tourney Match

6/4/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
RHAM tennis seniors (l-r) Lauren Fenton, Addison Brown, Morgan Fazzino, Teresa Hooker. Photo credit: Dan Fish

Clutch would be a good word to describe the girls’ tennis team at RHAM High School. 
           
Needing a win to assure a spot in the state tournament, the Raptors defeat Enfield (4-3) in the regular season and then upset higher-rank Berlin (4-3) in the qualifying round of the Class L tourney.
           
Leading the way were four senior captains—Lauren Fenton, Teresa Hooker, Addison Brown, Morgan Fazzino—that have played pivotal roles on the court and led the way off of it. 
           
“Their experience, enthusiasm and love of the game has been infectious for the entire team,” head coach Carol Fish said of her seniors. “We’re a young team. We have a lot of freshmen and they have really learned a lot from the work ethic of the seniors.”
           
Fenton served as the team’s No. 1 singles player and Hooker served as the No. 2 singles, while Brown was half of the team’s No. 1 doubles team and Fazzino was half of the No. 2 doubles team.
           
Against Enfield on May 25, the doubles teams were instrumental in the victory.
           
Brown and Grace Baran (6-1, 6-0), Fazzino and Anna Lavenburg (6-1, 6-1), and the No. 3 doubles team of Kate Landry and Kiley Stanford (6-3, 6-1) all won. 
           
Those three victories, along with a win from No. 4 singles player Sophia Orama secured a team win for the Raptors, who finished the regular season 6-9.
           
The combo of Brown and Baran were a consistent force for Fish this season, posting an 11-3 record as a tandem. 
           
Fish said that Baran, a junior, is a player who made a significant leap this spring.
           
“She has been phenomenal,” Fish said of Baran. “Not only has she had a great season [in doubles], but she has stepped in to play singles and will do whatever is necessary for the team.”
           
Fazzino also reached 10 wins as a double player. 
           
Fish also pointed to Fenton, who is a multi-sport athlete at RHAM, praising her willingness to go toe-to-toe with the other team’s No. 1 singles player, who are often year round tennis players.
           
In the tourney win over Berlin on May 27, it was the next generation that carried the team.
           
Despite playing shorthanded, the No. 19 Raptors prevailed over the No. 14 Redcoats at Berlin High School.
           
Junior Bridget Austin won the No. 3 singles match (6-1, 6-2) and RHAM again swept the three doubles matches.
           
Baran and junior Anna Lavenburg rallied to win (1-6, 7-5, 1-0), sophomore Kiley Stanford and freshman Alison Polochanin prevailed (6-2, 6-3), and the freshman duo of Kate Landry and Ella Mayo won a tiebreaker (6-3, 5-7, 1-0).
           
The win over Berlin was the crowning achievement for the Raptors, who starting the season with four consecutive losses.
           
Following the slow start, the team rebounded with three straight victories—defeating Simsbury, New Britain and E.O. Smith. 
           
The win over New Britain on April 24 was the team’s first and only clean sweep, winning all seven matches.
           
Fenton, Hooker, Austin, and Brynn Maleryn each won singles matches, while the duos of Brown / Baran, Fazzino / Lavenburg, and Landry / Stanford won doubles matches.  
           
On Tuesday, the resilient Raptors fell to No. 3 Newington in the first round of the state tournament, ending the careers of the four seniors and the season for the other 16 players.
           
Fish, who wrapped up her second season with the girls after coaching the previous five with the boys program, is hoping that some of the returning girls become year round tennis players.
           
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Fish said of the season. “Some of the younger girls have never played at all, so I’ve loved to see them improve and how everything started to click. Their understanding of the game and their skill sets improved tremendously. I’m really looking forward to next year and to see what happens with our younger players.”   

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Sports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    April 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly