Lenox Boys Finish Second in Western Mass Tourney
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School boys tennis team Friday swept the singles points en route to a 4-1 win over Lenox in the Western Massachusetts Class C Championship match at Bousquet Sport.
Devan Ye came back from a first-set loss to win in three sets at third singles to clinch the title for the second-seeded Dragons.
Lenox got a win at second doubles from the tandem of Aiden Tran and Devon Smits.
But the Millionaires (14-1) also get to keep playing.
Earlier on Friday, they were installed as the No. 11 seed in next week's Division 4 State Tournament. Lenox will open state tourney play at home against No. 22 Dennis-Yarmouth on a date to be announced.
No. 20 Monument Mountain and No. 29 Mount Greylock also made the D4 field and will open their tournament runs on the road.
Lenox coach Monica Herman, while obviously disappointed with the result, was encouraged by what her team is accomplishing this spring.
And she was a little bit happier than her players as they headed off the court.
"Being undefeated this season, they're out of practice losing a match for sure," Herman said. "So I think it came as a bit of a shock for everyone.
"I tried to tell them, [PVCICS] is a really tough team. We lost to them in the semis two years in a row, and we made it all the way to the finals and lost to them.
"And it was close."
The Dragons put away the first two singles matches in short order, but Lenox No. 3 Edmund Pritchard got off to a strong start, bettering Ye, 6-3, in the first set.
Ye was able to regroup, though, and give his PVCICS a third team point to clinch the match.
It looked like the Dragons would need every one of those singles points as both Lenox doubles tandems took the opening sets of their matches.
Sebastian Manrique and Sawyer Levin, who went out at the conclusion of the first singles match, won their first set, 6-2, behind strong service games from both Millionaires.
"I was going to say [the PVCICS first doubles pair] got used to it, but, no, because then they started to double," Herman said. "our guys started double faulting and not making their first serves anymore."
After taking the second set, 6-4, the Dragons' pair of Simon Speer and Ethan Wang rode their momentum in the 10-point tie-breaker to win the match.
The one win for the Millionaires came on the last match to get started. Aiden Tran and Devon Smits did not let the wait bother them, cruising to a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 2 doubles so Lenox could avoid the shutout.
Lenox's girls, seeded second in their Class C tournament, will play their rain-delayed final against PVCICS on Saturday afternoon at the Ludlow Tennis Club.
Singles
No. 1 Lee Ferguson, PVCICS, def. Alex Kolean, 6-1, 6-1.
No. 2 Derek Ye, PVCICS, def. Aydan Shove, 6-0, 6-2.
No. 3 Devan Ye, PVCICS, def. Edmund Pritchard, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Doubles
No. 1 Simon Speer/Ethan Wang, PVCICS, def. Sebastian Manrique/Saywer Levin, 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7).
No. 2 Aiden Tran/Devon Smits, L, def. Jack Herman/James Ferrer, 6-4, 6-2.