Girls Tennis: Monarchs fall 4-3 at East Hampton
Nothing comes easy in League VII.
The McGann-Mercy girls tennis team fully expected the competition to be fierce every match this season and so far the Monarchs haven’t been disappointed.
The Monarchs dropped a tough match Monday afternoon on the road at East Hampton to fall to 3-4 in League VII. It was Mercy’s fourth league match that was decided by one point. East Hampton earned the 4-3 win, flipping the script on Mercy after the Monarchs won by the same margin in early September.
Mercy coach Mike Clauberg said he expected this match to be a tougher go-around compared to the earlier meeting.
“This is the first time they played at full strength,” he said.
The Bonackers were shorthanded through the first half of the league season — one girl was in Germany for two weeks — which made their 1-5 league record coming into Monday a little deceiving.
“I thought it was going to be 4-3 either way,” Clauberg said. “It’s tough playing at East Hampton.”
Mercy first singles player Cassidy Lessard faced off against Abby Okin in a rematch from earlier in the season. Lessard, a senior captain, defeated Okin in three sets when they met at Mercy.
This time, in another three-setter, it was Okin emerging victorious. She won 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to help East Hampton clinch the match.
“It was a close battle,” Clauberg said. “That match can go either way.”
Mercy picked up wins at second doubles, third and fourth singles.
The league schedule has pitted Mercy against two of the top 10 teams on Long Island in Ross and William Floyd. Mercy lost to both teams and will face them both again.
The Monarchs are 5-0 this season against teams outside of League VII, lifting their overall record to 8-4.
