Cape tennis shot down by the Mallards
The Vikings girls’ tennis squad was defeated by Worcester Prep 4-1 May 3 at Cape.
Cape started off strong with a three-set victory by senior and first singles player Maryann Tietbohl over Abigail Plylar 3-6, 7-5 with the third-set tiebreaker 10-5.
Worcester took the win in the rest of the matches.
Worcester’s Annika Larsen defeated Amanda Sponaugle 7-6, 6-4 at second singles, while Sumira Sehgal defeated Cape’s Marcella Sabbagh 6-3, 6-1 at third. The first doubles team of Mesa Cammack and Saylar McGuiness defeated Taylor Smith and Anna Harrington 6-3, 7-5, and Mallards Waverly Choy and Summer Walker downed Juliana Warnock and Samantha Connors 7-5, 0-6 and 10-8 in the tiebreaker.
“The score was not indicative of how close the matches were,” said Cape coach Laurie Carter. “It was a very close match, and we could really have beaten them 3-2 or even 4-1, but we’re talking just a couple of mistakes on our part that tipped the balance in favor of Worcester Prep.”
“This out-of-conference match was a great opportunity to get some good work in for this week’s tournament,” said girls’ assistant coach Dave Shook. “I wouldn’t say we should have won, but we certainly could have won. It was very competitive, and I was very pleased how the girls played.”
The Cape boys fell 5-0 to the Mallards.
Dominic Anthony of Worcester defeated Quincy Copeland 6-2, 6-1 at first singles. Will Todd continued the Mallards’ victories with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Adam Meacci at second singles, and Worcester’s Ryan Brafman downed Cape’s Dylan Kaplan 6-0, 3-6 and 7-5 at third. The Mallards’ first doubles team of Colin Miller and Graham Hammond defeated Jack Lee and Jackson Curatola 6-1, 6-0, while the Worcester second doubles of Joseph Schwartz and Frank Carter defeated Cape’s Maxwell Merwitz and Justin Atkins 6-1, 6-0.
“The Worcester match was a good tune-up for what the boys will see at the Henlopen Conference tournament on Friday,” said Cape boys’ assistant coach John Myers. “Overall, the Worcester team was technically and tactically stronger than we were, and that posed significant problems for us as a team. Quincy at first singles played another consistent match, his trademark for the season. He played aggressively and hit some great shots, but his opponent Dominic Anthony is an excellent shotmaker, which kept Quincy on the defensive most of the match. The best match of the day was at third singles as Dylan Kaplan battled Ryan Brafman in a three-set classic. Brafman easily won the first set 6-0, but as he has done all season, Dylan made adjustments to win set two comfortably 6-3. Dylan continued his fighting spirit as he battled through long rallies only to fall 7-5 in the third.”
Cape was set to play Polytech Monday, May 6, while the Mallards faced St. Thomas More.
