EP girls tennis wraps up title season in unlikeliest of ways. Here's how.
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PAWTUCKET – History beckoned for East Providence girls tennis.
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The school’s first Division II title appearance didn’t come with any nerves. Slater Park was just another location on a dominant trip through the state for the Townies. The third doubles tandem of Mazie Baraf and Addison Tait provided the match point against Lincoln on a pristine Oct. 31 afternoon in Pawtucket.
The duo held off Lincoln’s rally to lead East Providence to a 4-0 victory and its first girls tennis title since 2016 and third overall. Madison Luu won a key straight-set match at third singles, and East Providence swept the doubles matches to finish off the day.
No. 1 East Providence (14-1) boasted a crowd larger than Slater Park has seen on even its best of days, and the Townies’ lineup had plenty of exhibition players that were along for the ride. The championship was decided on Saturday, but East Providence won this title years ago. Baraf and Tait help cap one of the best season's East Providence has ever had and during one of the better stretches in program history.
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“We have such a great community, and we've built these amazing friendships and bonds with each other,” Baraf said. “I think if we had a smaller team, that wouldn't be quite possible. It's just so cool that there are so many girls interested in the sport, who love the sport, who show up to practice every day from August until November and are putting the work in and really just not giving up.”
Consecutive D-III championship losses in 2022-23 certainly stung, but they also set the program in motion. The seniors this year weren’t going to let another chance slip away, and they closed the four-year circle with a sweep of No. 2 Lincoln (15-1). And with a deep roster that now has more experience, the Townies might be building something important.
“The way that I looked at it is, being here already is such a blessing,” Baraf said. “In my mind, we already made it, and taking this home is just another step in that. I feel complete, I feel like I finished my high school tennis career, and there's nothing more that I'm yearning for.”
“This is my senior year, and to be a winning point in this whole thing is just insane,” Luu said. “The team has been so supportive and so sweet. I just wanted to make sure that our team ended up winning so much. Even if I wasn't the one to win, I wanted to make sure our team itself won instead of me.”
Luu didn’t earn East Providence a point in that championship loss three years ago. But she was second off the courts in 6-4, 6-2 fashion. That left the first and third doubles matches for the Townies to flip after Talia Gould and Eliana Perez won second doubles 6-0, 6-1. Chloe Sullo and Addison Flanagan weren’t far behind at first doubles after winning 6-4, 6-4.
It was a close finish from there as Lincoln forced a third set at first singles and third doubles. The Lions also won the first two frames at second and fourth singles and easily could have flipped the afternoon if Baraf and Tait hadn’t come through with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 victory.
East Providence’s lone loss was a 4-3 defeat against Lincoln School earlier this year. They weren’t challenged often this fall and closed out a banner-raising fall with a team effort at Slater Park.
“We were so successful, we only had one loss,” Tait said. “We kept pushing and pushing, even if we were close to losing. It was just a really good season for us.”
“My freshman year, I wasn't playing, so I was just supporting my team,” Flanagan said. “I just remember the feeling when they said the match was over, and I just remember bawling. Coming back here, I just wanted to give it everything I have, win or lose.”
East Providence 4, Lincoln 0
Singles: Madison Luu, EP, def. Sia Seth, L, 6-4, 6-2.
Doubles: Chloe Sullo/Addison Flanagan, EP, def. Lily Gilson/Charlotte Kilsey, L, 6-4, 6-4; Talia Gould/Eliana Perez, EP, def. Zaynab Diop/Marquessa Lund, L, 6-1, 6-0; Mazie Baraf/Addison Tait, EP, def. Karina Mallon/Julia Sarza, L, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: EP girls tennis wraps up title season in unlikeliest of ways. Here's how.
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