Martlets Defeat Berkshire

This was a CLOSE match and hot and humid. The heat index was high with temperatures up to 87° and humidity around 40%. The only shade on the Berkshire courts was an occasional cloud. On the trainer’s recommendation, the coaches agreed to shorten the matches to six game pro-sets. Westminster was down three players from the regular line-up so the format was changed to five singles matches and two doubles matches. Berkshire had ice towels and the Westy girls were well hydrated. After a short warm-up, the team took to the courts. Everything was close early with most matches tied at 1-1. Veronica Edwards ’27 was thrust into singles action at #5 and found herself down 0-1, 0-40. Edwards stayed calm and consistent, won that game, and went on to a 6-2 victory for the first Westy point. Unfortunately, Kitty Olson ’27 was less consistent and fell 3-6. Avery Gray ’26 and Luna Yang ’26 were in a tight, competitive match with many close games. Down three match balls at 4-5, they came back to deuce before netting a ball on the tape to give Berkshire a 2-1 match lead. Meanwhile Lucy Morton ’26 and Virginia Whiting ’26 were down 2-4 at #2 doubles. Co-captain Colby Smith ’24 went up 5-1 and pulled Westminster even in the match at 2-2 with a win in her final Westminster match. Smith lost only two matches in three years, last season to Deerfield in the opener and this season to Hotchkiss. Her strong ball striking and mental toughness will be sorely missed next season. Three year Captain Westie Strawbridge was tied at 3-3 and worried about the heat. Her low, precise groundstrokes were too much for her opponent and Strawbridge took the last three games to give the team some air and a 3-2 lead. Strawbridge lost a match to Taft last year and this year and also to Hotchkiss. Her competitive determination and big heart led the team on and off the court the last three years. In the meantime, Morton and Whiting had won three straight games and had match ball up 5-4. Co-Captain Eliza Cabot had quietly built a 4-1 lead with lots of long, back and forth rallies. Morton and Whiting went down again 5-6 and then went into a tie-breaker, where they were down 1-4. Cabot had dropped two games and was slightly annoyed at herself for playing so many balls that she knew were out. Coach Doucette was surprised because Cabot is rarely annoyed at anyone or anything. He reminded her that her generous line calling was her hallmark and that she typically won her matches anyway (only one loss in three years – to Loomis last year). And she won again today for an undefeated season. Her retrieving skills make her tough to beat, but it is her genuine kindness that will be missed the most next year. Cabot’s win sealed the victory for the Martlets and all eyes turned to #2 doubles where Morton and Whiting won six of the last seven points to take the tie-breaker 7-5 and notch the fifth point for Westminster. Morton and Whiting were uniquely determined and focused today, playing the long diagonals and finishing at net when they could. This team win was a season highlight because it would not have been a stretch for the match to have been 2-5 in Berkshire’s favor. Additionally, Olson and Edwards agreed to play an exhibition doubles match in the heat while Gray played a singles match so that all of the Berkshire players were able to get a match.

 

1.        Strawbridge                   W 6-3

2.        Smith                                   W 6-2

3.        Cabot                                 W 6-3

4.        Olson                                  L 3-6

5.        Edwards                            W 6-2

Ex.   Gray                                    W 4-1

 

1.        Gray/Yang                        L 4-6

2.        Morton/Whiting          W 7-6 (7-5)