Greylock comes up short in tennis

LONGMEADOW -- Mount Greylock still has a long way to go to catch Longmeadow.

Despite solid performances in both the singles and doubles competitions during Saturday's Western Massachusetts Individual Boys' Tennis Tournament, both Mounties entries were sent home by Longmeadow players.

Third-seeded Matt Vaughan fell in the semifinals to No. 2 seed James Barnhart, while the Greylock doubles team of Taylor Foehl and David Nolan went down in the finals in three sets to the defending state champions in what was likely the most exciting match played at Longmeadow High School.

With its performance in the tournament, Greylock solidified its standing as the second-best program in Western Massachusetts this season, but regional power Longmeadow proved it remains the yardstick.

"They're the state champions," Nolan said of Greylock's opponent in the doubles competition. "We showed that we can play with the best."

Today, two more Berkshire County representatives will try to take home hardware in the girls' competition, starting at 8:30 a.m. at Longmeadow. Taconic's Jessica Martin advanced to the semifinals of the singles' competition, while Lenox's No. 2 doubles team of Nicole Babich and Miranda Cohen pulled off two upsets to reach the semifinals.

Foehl and Nolan, who went down 6-3, 6-3 to the team of Neal Freyman and Chandler Morehardt in last year's semifinals, ensured a better effort from the outset with an inspired first set, but the Longmeadow

The match featured 13 deuces and Greylock, after falling behind 5-2 in the third set, was one point away from holding Foehl's serve for 5-all in the third set before Longmeadow won the match.

"I thought we played well," Foehl said. "I think we did enough that we have to be proud with what we did."

Making an effort to keep the Longmeadow pair off the net, the Greylock pair were aggressive and efficient, running out to a 5-1 lead to open the match. Foehl, a state champion in squash and naturally the more aggressive player, was especially effective early on, slashing away at volleys and overheads.

"They were really good, the best team we played all year," Freyman said. "And their second doubles team was the other one. Some of the amazing shots, you just had to shake your head at."

Longmeadow countered Greylock's aggression by connecting on a number of lobs in the second and third sets, and the Lancer pair also began to find the range on their volleys.

Longmeadow turned the tide during the third game of the second set, winning after a pair of deuces by forcing Foehl into a pair of misses at the net to take a 2-1 lead, then winning after the fourth deuce to extend its lead to 4-2. The Lancers maintained their momentum, taking a 3-0 lead to start the third set before Greylock's comeback effort fell just short.

In Vaughan's semifinal, the Greylock senior's serve-and-volley game couldn't hold up against a superior player off the ground.

With Vaughan struggling to dent Barnhart's serve -- he broke just once in the match -- the pressure built on Vaughan's service game, and some uncharacteristic errors at the net came back to haunt him.

Vaughan was broken in the first game of the match, but came back to force a tiebreaker, which he lost 7-4.

Vaughan opened the tiebreaker by missing a volley and hitting a backhand into the net, and after winning the third point, was forced into a missed volley and overhead by a hard, dipping forehand and an exquisite lob.

"I thought I played OK," Vaughan said. "He played better than I did. That's what happens down here. One match and you go home."

In the second set, Barnhart controlled play off the ground, and even with Vaughan scrambling to the net often while returning serve, he lacked the weapons needed to dent Longmeadow's No. 2 player.

The Mounties couldn't solve the Longmeadow problem, but Taconic's Martin did.

Martin, who lost twice last season to Longmeadow's Amanda Fitzpatrick, and twice advanced to the doubles finals before losing to Longmeadow teams, earned a measure of revenge in a three-set win on Saturday.

Martin, a St. Joseph's student and the last remaining member of Taconic's dominant teams from 2004 to 2006, has spent much of this season practicing with members of the Braves' boys' team in an effort to improve her game.

With her long-time coach Dick Piretti in her corner, Martin matched Fitzpatrick's consistent groundstrokes by making few errors of her own and eventually wore out her opponent in a match that lasted two hours and 30 minutes.

Martin is the first girls' singles semifinalist since Taconic's Laura Murillo advanced to the championship in 2005.

"When you think of Laura, you think of a dominant player," Martin said. "I don't think of myself like that. I just go out and try to do what I have to."

While Martin, who was seeded fifth, could consider her victory over the fourth seed a minor upset, the No. 2 doubles team from Lenox pulled off the surprise of the tournament, knocking out both the No. 2 and No. 7 seeds yesterday both in straight sets.

Miranda Cohen, a junior, and eighth-grader Kelly Babich showcased the depth of unbeaten Lenox by continuing their run.

"We didn't even realize it was the No. 2 seed," Lenox coach Jackie Shea said. "We saw the No. 7 and thought, ‘Oh no,' and then we realized we just beat the No. 2. They had no idea."

It's the second consecutive season that a No. 2 doubles team from a county representative advanced to the semifinals. Last year, Lee's Avery Forget and Stephanie Rydell won the event after coming in as their team's second entry.