Girls Tennis: Classical, Lynnfield lead the way

One team hasn?t lost a match in nearly two years while the other has put together a storybook campaign. Thanks to those remarkable seasons, the Lynnfield and Lynn Classical girls? tennis teams earned high seeds in the state tournament that kicks off Thursday.
The Rams garnered the No. 2 seed in the Division 1 North sectional and an opening round match with No. 15 Masconomet (6-14) on Thursday at Breed Middle School. Lynnfield, meanwhile, is the top seed in the Division 3 North sectional for a second straight season and awaits either No. 8 Bishop Fenwick (12-4) or No. 9 Arlington Catholic (10-9) in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Classical (18-2) was a tournament team last season but made the leap into the upper echelon of the Northeastern Conference thanks to a senior-laden roster.
?We had expectations that we?d be good but certainly didn?t see this coming,” Rams? coach Cathy Ellis said. “It?s been such a pleasant surprise. The girls really deserved it because of the commitment they made.”
Experience paid huge dividends for the Rams as captains Anna Athanasopoulos, Meredith MacDonald and Kayla O?Brien shined in the singles positions. Shea Dunnigan and Briana Silva were rock solid at first doubles with Ashley Noel teaming with Zoe Raymond and Lizzie Troisi to find success at second doubles.
?The biggest thing for us was that a lot of the kids made the effort to get out and play more during the offseason,” Ellis said. “And it paid off because they played relaxed.”
The Rams will be on familiar turf in the opening round, having gone 10-0 on the newly refurbished Breed courts.
Lynnfield is no stranger to the top of the Division 3 North bracket as the owners of a 37-match win streak. The last time the Pioneers were beaten was in the 2012 sectional final against Manchester-Essex.
Since that loss, coach Craig Stone?s team has been practically unstoppable, led by an ultra-talented senior class. Sarah Mezini, Kelley Nevils and Izzy Figucia have been starters for the Pioneers for most of their four years at Lynnfield. Katie Nevils and Olivia Skelley have been outstanding at first doubles for the Pioneers, who didn?t miss a beat despite graduating nearly half of their starting lineup from last season.
Lurking on the other side of Lynnfield?s bracket is No. 6 seed Swampscott, which finished at 16-4, and hosts No. 11 Watertown (7-9) on Thursday.
The Big Blue faced Lynnfield earlier this season, losing 3-2 in Swampscott. The two squads also played in the North final last season with Lynnfield winning by the same 3-2 score.
Marblehead quietly put together a season that saw it win the most matches in the NEC/South (17) and claim a conference title under first-year coach Catherine Castoldi. The Magicians are the No. 4 seed in the Division 2 North tournament and will host No. 13 Triton (9-9) on Thursday.
Beverly (10-6) battled right to the end with Classical for the NEC/North title. The Panthers are the No. 10 seed in the Division 2 tournament and will face No. 7 Burlington (12-4) on Thursday.Danvers is the 11thseed in the Division 2 tournament with a record of 11-9 and face No. 6 Belmont (12-4) Thursday.