PAWTUCKET – As one streak ends, the other is still very much alive.
La Salle women’s tennis lost its 138-game winning streak in the season opener against Barrington. The Eagles won another game against the Rams later in the season and entered Saturday’s championship as the proverbial favorites.
But the Rams know Slater Park all too well. What about the streak that really matters, the back-to-back championship run? It’s always perfect in Providence.
Ana Lamoriello won her No. 2 singles match, 6-3, 7-6 (7) and deservedly fell on Slater’s court as No. 2 La Salle (17-2) posted a 4-2 decision over top-seeded Barrington (18). -1) to take the championship streak to 11 consecutive years.
“It was a really emotional moment,” Lamoriello said. “We had a very long year, everyone worked very hard. We had to rebuild with so many new players, so many new faces. I think ending the senior season like this was so special, we were kind of underdogs.
“She found some progress, probably halfway through the season,” La Salle coach Tom Martin said of Lamoriello. “She has become more and more confident, and I thought her focus and execution were excellent today.”
The Rams worked through their first victory as multi-sport star Eliza Barker earned a 6-1, 6-2 triumph in No. 3 singles. The second doubles pair of Moira Haxton and Alessandra Roye put La Salle up 2-0 with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.
But the Rams still had to close out an undefeated and hungry Eagles team seeking its first title since 2001. And the Eagles didn’t sit still as Barrington won the No. 3 doubles match, 6-4, 6-0, with Mira. Victory for Scheiner and Ella Schweier.
“I talked about the legacy of La Salle’s success,” Martin said after the second loss to Barrington. “And I just said you want to do your best to try to continue that, and they seemed to focus on training and improving game execution. You could just see a big change and that shouldn’t be interpreted as pressure to win But go out and play your best and whatever happens It was the same today.
La Salle’s doubles loss only intensified the No. 4 singles match that saw Genevieve Raposo tie and hold off Charlotte Byon, 6-2, 6-4, to set up Lamoriello’s game-winner.
“I knew we were close to winning,” Raposo said of the match. “And I knew (the Raposo game) wasn’t just for me to win, but it was for our team. I wanted this so bad and I managed to pull it off for the team, and not just for me, but for everyone.
Addy Friedman and Jasmine Malik won the No. 1 doubles match for the Eagles. But with Lamoriello leading the way, the Rams just needed their senior to finish the game to retain the state crown with La Salle.
“We are ready to start new streaks,” Lamoriello said. “(The winning streak) was going to end at some point. But we are happy that we were able to maintain our championship streak.
Room 4, Barrington 2
Singles – Ava Koczera-Kasem, B, against Bianca Presciutti, LSA, suspends the third set; Ana Lamoriello, LSA def. Sadie Spector, 6-3, 7-6 (7); Eliza Barker, LSA def. Anna Pani, 6-1, 6-2; Geneviève Raposo, LSA def. Charlotte Byon, 6-2, 6-4; Doubles – Addy Friedman/Jasmine Malik, B, def. Ava Paletta/Giuliana Santoro, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2; Moira Haxton/Alessandra Roye, LSA def. Carla Chen/Jillian Fréchette, 6-4, 6-2; Mira Scheiner/Ella Schweier, B, def. Sloane Ferrara/Elizabeth Vitale, 6-4, 6-0.
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
This article was originally published in the Providence Journal: La Salle girls tennis wins 11th consecutive state championship
