Sealing the win was the number two
doubles team of Sara Bishop and Mary Kate Facchina when the Junior-Freshman
combo came from behind for the 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 decision. "That was
the longest match I've ever player," stated Mary Kate, one the coaches' two
daughters on the team, about the marathon effort.
Mount de Sales is now 5-2. In addition
to the earlier loss to Bryn Mawr, MSDA also fell to Notre Dame Prep. The win
also marks the first time in the
school's five-year tennis history that it has beaten Bryn Mawr. "The girls have worked really
hard," Facchina said. "It has been great to see these girls grow from
average tennis players into really good athletes."
One of the keys to the
Sailor win may well have taken place in an earlier win over Roland Park
Country. Said Facchina, when asked about
that match, �??We had lost the first two matches in the number one and two
singles spots, number one doubles (Erica Brown and Carol Nettina) lost the
first set and was down 5-1 in the second set, number two doubles won the first set and lost the second set, and number three doubles lost the first set.�?�
Down 0-2, with three other
matches all hanging precariously close to a loss, things did not look promising
for the Sailors. �??It was looking pretty bleak,
but we came back and won all three of those matches. This was a great
learning experience for the team. Now they know they can dig deep and turn
any match around. I was especially proud of the number one doubles because
that was a huge comeback,�?� Facchina added.
Having already come back with
their backs against the wall likely gave the MDSA girls some confidence that
they could do it again, and that they did against the Mawrtians. The Sailors have a rematch
with the Reds on Tuesday and then host Garrison Forest on Thursday before taking on
NDP next Monday in what could prove to be a key end-of-season match in regards
to the standings.
Coach Kate Brendler and her
Bryn Mawr team have been wreaking havoc on the IAAM tennis circuit for quite
some time. They have won the title twice
and shared it once over a span of the past four years.
Brendler, Head Coach since
2003, saw freshman Annie Wu lead the BMS team to its first IAAM A-Conference in that 2003 season, the school�??s
first championship since the pre-IAAM early 1980's. McDonogh had dominated the
scene and won numerous titles up until 2002. In 2004, although Wu's success in singles continued, BMS finished second in the regular season league standings to champion St. Paul's School for Girls. The 2004 tournament saw Wu win
her first of three straight �??A�?� singles titles.
In 2005, Bryn Mawr began the season by beating Roland Park Country School in the inaugural match on their new tennis courts, and won every other
match that season except for the second match against RPCS. With one loss each
in 2005, Bryn Mawr and Roland Park shared the regular season �??A�?� championship,
while Wu beat Lindsay Katz of RPCS in the finals of the singles tournament.
During 2006, Bryn Mawr went unbeaten, winning the A-Conference title again. Wu
won her third straight IAAM singles title that year, over Katz, capping an
outstanding high school tennis career. Wu and Laura Simmons were both selected
to the Baltimore Sun All-Metro team last spring. Wu was selected as the
Tennis Player of the Year for 2007and now attends Johns Hopkins University.
Bryn Mawr got off to a
terrific start again this year, going 5-0 until an injury sidelined #2 singles
player Laura Simmons. All of those wins came by convincing scores of 5-0 or
4-1, except for a 3-2 victory over NDP.
Then, last Tuesday, Bryn
Mawr's win streak was broken by Mount de Sales. Bryn Mawr won the #1 singles
and the #1 doubles matches in straight sets, but MDSA won the #2 singles and
the #3 doubles in straight sets.
The team match came down to
the fifth and deciding match, the battle for #2 doubles. Although BMS won the first set in a tie-breaker, they ended up losing the match in a
closely contested third set as the sun was going down.
Most consistently winning teams accept a rare loss, learn from it, and move
on. Bryn Mawr did just that, rebounding
on Thursday, again without Simmons, to beat Roland Park, 3-2.
The Mawrtians face another
key test this Thursday when they travel to NDP to face the Blazers (5-2), who
will be looking to match the Sailors�?? effort and pin another loss on the BMS team. A Blazer win would really
scramble the race, giving all three teams two losses each. Listed below are the results
of last week�??s MDSA/BMS match:
#1 singles: Erica Choo
(BMS) def Cara Facchina (MDS), 6-4, 6-1
#2 singles: Maggie Andrew (MDS) def Lauren Lanzo, 6-3, 7-6
#1 doubles: Gussie MacLaughlin/Maggie Li (BMS) beat Erica Brown/Carol Nettina (MDS), 6-1, 6-2
#2 doubles: Sarah Bishop/Mary Kate Facchina (MDS) def Jenna Feldman/Claire Gottsch (BMS), 6-7,6-4, 6-4
#3 doubles: Maria Procopio/Gabrielle Johnson (MDS) def Catherine Gamper/Brittany Katz (BMS), 6-4, 6-4
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