CAMBRIDGE – After an incredibly close championship matchup last year, the Westborough Rangers and the Masconomet Chieftains met again in the state final on June 18.
However, like last year, Westborough fell in heartbreaking fashion at MIT’s duPont Tennis Courts. The Rangers’ 4-1 championship loss to fourth-seeded Masconomet was the end of an inspiring playoff run.
According to Head Coach Scott Henderson, third-seeded Westborough felt like underdogs heading into the match. Last year’s championship contest was extremely close, but since that point, the Rangers graduated two starters. Masconomet returned all seven of their starters from last year.
Mira McLaren, Westborough’s senior captain and first singles player, got off on the wrong foot against Masconomet’s Kendall Skulley. Skulley took the first set convincingly, but McLaren fought tooth and nail until the end, eventually falling to Skulley (6-2, 6-4) after a competitive second set.
Masconomet senior Nina Klink defeated Westborough’s Diya Bhattacharya in straight sets (6-1, 6-4) to win the second singles match, while Chieftain Teagan Skulley beat (6-0, 6-0) third singles player Isabel Feldman, who was nursing an ankle injury throughout the match.
The three singles victories put Masconomet up 3-0. Although the Chieftains had clinched the championship win, the Rangers doubles teams continued to play, producing some of the Rangers’ best tennis of the afternoon.
Westborough’s Elena Chen and Ellie King – the first doubles pairing – split the first two sets with Masconomet’s Maya Klink and Shaylee Moreno. Klink and Moreno would ultimately defeat Chen and King in an extremely close, back-and-forth ten-point tiebreak (6-7 (4), 6-4, 10-5 (tiebreak)).
The Rangers’ second doubles team – Sahasra Kommineni and Nicole Nguyen – put Westborough on the board, winning their match in straight sets (6-4, 7-5).
“They outplayed us. Sometimes you feel like you lost it, [but] I didn’t feel like we lost it, I feel like they won it. I thought my girls fought hard,” said Henderson.
Although the Rangers had come up short once again, Henderson’s postgame message to his team was reassuring and positive.
“Everyone else besides [Masconomet] went home before today,” he said. “I want these girls to be proud of their accomplishments. They made it here – they didn’t win, they didn’t get the result they wanted – but they were here. There is no shame in losing to Masconomet… They’re a great team.”
Masconomet ends the season undefeated (20-0) and as back-to-back MIAA Division 2 state champions.
The loss also represents the end to an incredibly close-knit team. Henderson said the team enjoys playing music on bus rides, partaking in various social outings and playing mixed-doubles tournaments with the boys’ team. King, one of the senior captains, makes cakes to celebrate teammates’ birthdays.
“I think… it’s about the camaraderie and the time we get to spend with the people rather than the trophies, championships, [or] scores. I think it’s the people really,” King said. “We all know that we’re all there for each other.”
“We have good chemistry, everyone gets along, I feel like everyone feels supported, and they had a good experience with each other,” Henderson said.
