Bulldog tennis teams eye strong finish

Senior Eli Weaver extended his unbeaten streak to 13 matches on Monday. (Mike Tureski photo)

The first-place boys team made it three wins in a row while a young and improving girls team gave their opponents a real battle in a strong start to the week for the CHS tennis program against division foe North Attleboro.

In the end, the two squads finished on opposite ends of a 3-2 final score, with the boys prevailing on the road on Monday and the girls losing at home by the same margin. Both teams picked up two wins at singles, but the difference for the Canton boys came at doubles, where the duo of Aidan McCloskey and Max Mueller battled back from an opening-set loss to win in three, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Fellow seniors Matt Wright and Eli Weaver also came out on top for the Bulldogs at second and third singles, with both prevailing in straight sets to run their season-long winning streaks to 13 in a row.

Wright and Weaver were also instrumental in the team’s previous win over Foxboro last Friday — a 3-2 result at home that also featured a convincing win by the first doubles team of Luke Erickson and Spencer Reich, who improved to 9-3 on the season.

Collectively, the boys are currently 11-2 overall, putting them in a dead heat with defending champion Mansfield in the race for the Hockomock Davenport Division. The Hornets won the first head-to-head battle on their home court earlier this month, but the Bulldogs will have a chance to get their revenge — and possibly snatch the title outright — in their highly anticipated rematch set for next Wednesday, May 20, at CHS on the final day of the regular season.

The lady Bulldogs, meanwhile, are playing for pride and reps at this point, as they have fallen out of contention for a postseason spot with a record of 3-10 and just three matches to go.

Despite their modest win total, head coach Myra Durham remains optimistic about the team’s long-term outlook, noting the “huge gains” they have made this spring with an all-new lineup featuring several first-year players. “All of our players approach every practice and match with a very positive mindset,” said Durham, “and while we might not be enjoying a lot of success this season, they have made huge improvements and they are not the same players that they were at the beginning of the season.”

While they have a very young roster that includes several freshmen, the team has also benefited from the leadership of their two most experienced players, seniors Katherine and Charlotte Powers, who have helped to anchor the singles lineup along with rookie Natalie Erickson, the team’s overall wins leader and breakout star.

With Charlotte Powers missing some time this season, Katherine Powers and Erickson have both moved up to the top two singles spots, and both have risen to the occasion, notching several victories against strong competitors.

Erickson in particular has been remarkably steady, winning all but two of her matches to date, including a three-set marathon in Monday’s match against North Attleboro. “Some players get anxious when they fall behind, but Natalie is very steady and she’s very good at righting the ship,” noted Durham. “She has a consistent style of play and has had a great start to her career.”

The Canton coach also offered high praise to Katherine Powers, who picked up another victory on Monday — her second in the last three matches at first singles. “Katherine has been a phenomenal doubles player for us for the last several years, and she really enjoyed playing doubles,” said Durham. “But she stepped up for the team when we needed her and she’s done a fantastic job this year playing singles.”

The Canton girls had one more home match this week against Oliver Ames and will then close out the season with back-to-back away contests next week at Stoughton and Mansfield. The boys will travel to play OA and will then play their final three matches at home before turning their attention to the D2 state playoffs.

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