Sports
Girls Tennis Team Captures D-I State Title
The unbeaten Avengers beat La Salle Saturday 4-3, for the EG's first ever girls D-I state title.
They did it – the Girls Tennis team capped a perfect season with the Division I state championship against La Salle, 4-3. And they did it the way they've been doing it all season, as a team.
Although La Salle took the first match, with Natalie Pitocco 6-0, 6-1 win over Catherine Karbasiafshar at fourth singles, Aleksandra Drljaca and Peri Sheinin, at first and second singles, breezed to victory. At first singles, Drljaca beat La Salle's Lauren Bertsch, 6-1,6-1, and Sheinin, at second singles, beat Dayna Reilly, 6-1, 6-4.
La Salle tied tied it up 2-2 with a win at first doubles team – Lindsay Brazenor and Katherine Braganca beat Eleanor Fulghum and Emma Falkenberry, 6-4, 6-4.EG moved ahead with a victory from Brooke Fennell and Romina Garakani at third doubles over Olivia Gould and Allison Paul, 7-5, 6-3, but La Salle captured second singles, with Sierra Musumeci and Elizabeth Healey beating Victoria Comito and Samantha Land.
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It all came down to third singles, and EG senior Heather Shen nailed it, with a decisive win over La Salle's Caroline Dunn, 6-4, 6-2.
This is the first time the EG Girls Tennis team has won a D-I state championship and the first time a public school has captured the D-I title in 12 years.
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"The kids worked awfully hard all season long and follow the leadership of their captains Heather Shen, Emma Falkenberry and Aleksandra Drljaca," said Coach Marc Brocato. (He was assisted by Rob Petrucci.)
"We truly followed the team motto throughout the entire season," Brocato said. "Most people think of tennis as a very individual sport but I can only think that ultimately the team bond is what gave us the title."No one thing exemplifies that fact more than the following story: Peri Sheinin came to me before the playoffs and I told her I was thinking about putting her at first singles in the playoffs based on her state title individually. Her response was that Alexandra was the true leader of this team and earned the right to lead us throughout play in the playoffs based on her four years of being our top player. I couldn't have asked for a better team-first response.
Brocato said he was very grateful for everyone's support.
"From the support of our parents to our booster club to our unbelievable Athletic Director Chris Cobain, it truly was an all-around team effort to bring a Division One tennis championship to East Greenwich High School."
Postscript: The Providence Journal named Heather Shen their Player of the Week (last week's POTW was Peri Sheinin!) for holding strong and clinching that fourth win necessary for the title.
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