Marblehead girls tennis advances

“It’s what we’ve been aiming for all season.”Those were the words of Marblehead girls tennis coach Tim Stonecipher following the Magicians’ 4-1 win over Burlington Friday in the Division 2 North semifinals at Marblehead.The win propels the Magicians into today’s Division 2 North final where they’ll play Winchester, a team familiar with success, and one Marblehead has a personal vendetta against. The match is at Newton.”There a very, very good team. They’re the pinnacle,” Stonecipher said. “They sent us packing last year in the semifinals last year, and meeting them again has been a goal of ours all season.”The Magicians had some business to take care of before reaching that goal.Marblehead got off to a great start thanks to a tremendous performance by junior Ashley Noyes, a transfer from Pingree this season. Noyes dominated in first singles against Catherine Gianino, winning 6-0, 6-0.”Ashley is an exceptional tennis player, and we’re extremely fortunate to have her. That being said, high school tennis is won with depth, and that’s where we really succeed,” Stonecipher said.Marblehead also got a win at third singles from Mary Lindsay Ryan, who defeated Lauren Woods in a tight match, 7-5, 6-2.Stonecipher said Ryan’s normally “aggressive” style didn’t play a factor in the match, as Woods managed to return her hard shots on an arc.”Mary has a tendency to adapt to the playing style of her opponent, which could seem good and bad, but she finds a way to win,” Stonecipher said.Marblehead’s lone loss came in a nail-biter (6-7, 3-6) as senior Julia Burke fell to Burlington’s Erin Rielly at second singles. Burke, who will likely be attending the University of Gettysburg (PA) in the fall, managed to keep it close throughout, but came up short in the day’s most evenly played match. Neither player seemed to fatigue, despite the length of the match.The Magicians first doubles tandem of Annie Ryan and Lindsey Cohen (6-2, 6-3) defeated Jenna Frank and Stephanie Swiszcz, continuing a dominating season.”They’re playing at a very high level,” Stonecipher said of the energetic duo.”They lost to Winchester’s first doubles tandem in the state individual semifinals, so the duo is familiar with what lies ahead.Despite his praise for his first doubles eam, it was second doubles that Stonecipher was “especially proud of.” Megan Stanojev and Meghan Gabel defeated Jenna Perlmutter and Molly Gilpin 4-6, 7-5, 6-0.The frustration was evident in the Magicians’ tandem early on, as they dropped the first set, but after Stonecipher stressed patience, they responded.”You could tell they were nervous, it’s the furthest we’ve been in the tournament, so it’s understandable,” Stonecipher said. “They were down a set, but found a way to switch the momentum before they cruised in the third set.”Now just one win away from a title, Stonecipher is able to look back on the year with asmile, but isn’t completely satisfied just yet.”We’ve had small victories throughout the season. We won a conference title and have gotten this far in the tournament, but we have one more goal to accomplish.”