Girls Tennis Reaches First Ever State Quarterfinal

The Nantucket girls tennis team breezed past their Sweet 16 opponent, the Advanced Math & Science Academy Eagles, Wednesday afternoon in an historic 5-0 victory for the program as they punched their ticket to the program’s first ever Div. 4 state quarterfinal.

Senior Elis Vieth was Nantucket’s first singles player and won her match in straight sets 6-0, 6-4. Vieth said after the match that her first set was really good as she dominated and essentially waited out her opponent to make mistakes.

“I was down 0 to 4 (in the second set) and then came back to win six games in a row for the final score of the second set to be 6 to 4,” Vieth said. “I’m really happy with myself for being able to come back like that. I’m also really proud of the team as all our matches were pretty close and we managed to have a clean sweep, making history for our Tennis program.”

Senior Andrea Bunlerssak was Nantucket’s second singles player and won her match in straight sets 6-2, 6-1. She said after her match that her opponent was pretty strong but would hit the ball out of play a fair amount.

“I got a lot of good overhead shots and stayed consistent,” Bunlerssak said. “After the first set I was in a lot of abdominal pain which motivated me to end it quick. I was at 5-1 and in peak pain so if I didn’t win the final game, she very well could’ve made a comeback I think.”

Senior Vicky Todorova represented Nantucket as their third singles player and won the match in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. She said she felt like she started off strong and confident, not letting her last match – which was a defeat in the Round of 32 – impact her.

“I was smart about placing my shots and I was moving around the court a lot,” Todorova said. “I did start to get frustrated with myself during the second set, but I managed to keep it together and finish strong. My opponent challenged me with her serves in the second set but I adjusted to it and led 6-5. I put a lot of pressure on her throughout the match, which helped me win.”

The Whaler’s first doubles pairing was Sutton LeBrecht and Sara Dussault, who won the first set 6-4, lost their second set 3-6, and won the third and decisive set 6-3. They said after their match that they kept their energy levels high and anger down as the ebbs and flows of the match carried out.

“I think we definitely need to work on calling balls earlier so we can communicate with each other better,” LeBrecht said. “Personally, I think I did well at the net but can improve on my backhand. Sara says she did well with her ground strokes and serves but can improve on her confidence at net. I am very proud of how we played today, and we stuck it out until the end.”

Rounding out Nantucket’s victories on Wednesday were Gabby Fee and Fiona Keltz, who made up the Whaler’s second doubles pairing and won in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. Fee said afterwards the duo also kept their energy levels high, even when they fell behind in the first set, and strategized with one another after each point.

“That gave us confidence on the court,” Fee said. “I think what Fiona and I need to work on is making fewer unforced errors. I’d like to work on my serves and Fiona would like to work on volleys. Overall, I think we did amazing, I’m so proud of this team.”

Nantucket, who came into the tournament ranked #8 in the Div. 4 bracket, will now travel off island to play #1 seeded Lynnfield. This match will take place on Sunday, June 8th at 11:30 a.m.