The East Providence girls tennis team trounced Lincoln 4-0 in the Division 2 championship at Slater Park on Saturday afternoon.  The Townies dropped their rackets and ran to celebrate with third doubles team of Addison Tait and Mazie Baraf after they won the clinching match. 

“It felt amazing,” said Baraf a senior co-captain. “Seeing all of my teammates faces. Running up, crying, screaming and giving us hugs, It just felt so nice.”

“These girls are competitors,” said Townies head coach Slade Sharma. “They love the game and take great pride in it. They weren’t afraid of competing and that’s how you win championships.”

The championship is the second for Coach Sharma, who also won with the boys team in spring of 2022. He and his teams have been to the championship match four times in his seven years of coaching both the boys and girls high school tennis teams. His calm demeanor and coaching skills has attracted many students, tennis players or not, to come out and play. The Townies, who ended their season with a record of 15-1, currently have 26 players on their roster. Coach Sharma's  teams have a standard of competing and winning, he said. 

“When the going gets tough, we get going, towards competing and winning the match. Our doubles teams are our strengh. You have to beat one of them to beat us and today, they didn’t,” he said. “That’s why we are standing here with the plaque and the championship.”

Doubles teams and third singles win in straight sets

All three Townies doubles teams and the third singles player won their matches in straight sets. The second doubles team of Eliana Perez and Talia Gould easily won their match against Lincoln’s Zaynab Diop and Marquessa Lund, 6-1, 6-0, to give East Providence their first win.

Third singles player Madison Luu with her wicked slice shot, then beat Sia Seth, 6-4, 6-2, for the Townies second win.

The 17-0 first doubles team of Chloe Sullo and Addison Flanagan beat Lincoln’s Lily Gilson and Charlotte Kilsey, 6-4, 6-4, in a grueling match, which drew the largest crowd along the court’s fence. With three wins in their pocket, the Townies crowd moved to watch the third doubles team. Baraf and Tait didn’t disappoint as they beat Lions’ Karina Mallon and Julia Zarza 6-1, 6-4. 

“The match was intense and insane,” said Baraf. “When the fans came over. It felt like it was all on us. The Lincoln girls were very talented and the second set was neck and neck. We just kept fighting for every point.”

Tait, a second doubles player, began playing with Baraf on the third doubles team towards the later half of the season due to a player coming to the team and an injury. The doubles pairing finished the season together with an undefeated record.

Townies mired in difficult matches

While Baraf and Tait were finishing up their match, first singles player Sydney Olson, second singles player Megan Pita and fourth singles player Maura Roche were mired in their own difficult matches elsewhere on the court. Lincoln’s Anna Davis pushed Olson to a third set, 6-4, 5-7, 1-0. Pita was about to win her match against Tanvi Bobbili, 6-3, 5-4 and Roche lost the first set and battled back to force a third set, 3-6, 6-3, 2-3.

“The girls were just so impressive,” Coach Slade said. “It takes a lot to beat them.”