The 2016 Litchfield girls tennis team. (Contributed)
BY ROGER CLEAVELAND
LITCHFIELD — In each of the last three years, the Litchfield High girls tennis team turned in an outstanding season only to be overshadowed by an undefeated team in the Berkshire League.
Last year, it was Shepaug that stole away all the attention. The year before that, it was Thomaston, and three years ago it was Nonnewaug.
After three straight 14-2 campaigns during which their two losses came against the BL’s undefeated team each year, the Cowgirls are determined this season not to be denied the respect they have deserved.
Playing outstanding tennis throughout the lineup, Litchfield is looking every bit like it has the talent to become the fourth consecutive different team in the Berkshire League to finish undefeated. The Cowgirls (9-0) have not lost more than one match against any opponent, and six times they have swept all seven matches.
The graduation of two-time BL All-Star Sabrina Cofer may have created a hole in the Litchfield lineup entering the season, but the Cowgirls have filled it admirably, and in the process they’ve added great length to the team’s quality depth.
“We have five seniors who have a lot of game experience in BL tournament and state tournament matches,” coach Dan Porri said. “A lot of them have been playing in our lineup for three years now, since their sophomore seasons. Having those seniors with that mental edge for tough matches is a big factor in our success.”
Porri elevated highly skilled sophomore Lexi Honigmann to No. 1 singles and senior Tiffany D’Andrea to No. 2 singles. He then held an open competition among last year’s doubles players to determine this year’s Nos. 3 and 4 singles players. Last year’s No. 3 doubles partners, senior Sophie MacDonald and sophomore Caroline Donavan, emerged as the new singles players.
Junior Maggie Brady and freshman Aaliyah Vescera took over the No. 3 doubles position behind two very strong pairings, the senior duo of Elena Kennedy and Margaret Hill at No. 1 doubles and the team of senior Claire Chapman and junior Corinne Casalli at No. 2 doubles.
Nine of the top 10 players on the team are undefeated. The Cowgirls lost one doubles match when two players were ill and were replaced by two junior varsity players. In singles play, D’Andrea has lost twice, but Porri said the four-year singles player has had an outstanding season.
“She is a competitor,” he said. “There is nobody I would rather have out there in a tough, grind-it-out match. She just knows how to hang in there to keep playing shots to extend points and frustrate the opponent, and more often than not she comes out on top. It is very comforting as a coach to know that I have a senior with that much experience and mental toughness.”
It is also comforting to have a young player like Honigmann continue to improve the way she has after being a BL all-star as a freshman.
“She has really stepped up her game as a sophomore to become one of the elite players in the conference and in this region of the state,” Porri said. “She was able to defeat (defending league champion) Caroline Kelly from Shepaug, and that was a big turning point in that match. Having Lexi at the top of our lineup has been really huge for us because she has really established herself.”
Porri said Honigmann may be a year away from winning an individual state championship, but she will clearly be a contender this year.
“She is a very smart player in terms of knowing the strategies to use against different players, and she is very consistent,” Porri said. “She can rally all day. She hits a lot of piercing topspin shots and knows how to move it around the court. She is a very heady player who can hit a lot of different shots. She also has the confidence to know what to do to get a win.”
Honigmann, combined with the team’s depth of talent, will also make the Cowgirls a strong contender for the Class S team championship this season. They made it into the quarterfinals each of the last two years, last season losing to eventual champion Northwest Catholic.
“We feel with who we have returning, especially with players like Lexi who have really stepped up their games, that we can make a deep run,” Porri said. “Shepaug feels that way as well, and I think it would be great for our league if not only us but Shepaug makes some noise in Class S. Quite honestly, I think we both have the potential to win Class S and bring a little respect to the Berkshire League, which hasn’t fared so well in the state tournament.”