A summer’s hard work has paid off. Under the coaching of Chick Renfrew, members of the Sippican Tennis Club in Marion – including Hope Anderson, Alex Bilodeau, Tim Bolick, Alex Cannell, Caroline Godfrey, Henry Godfrey, Melissa Hooke Isabella Horstmann, Victoire Keane, Becky Kendall, Ollie Kendall, Julia Nojeim, Ollie Sughrue, Owen Sughrue, Elizabeth Tarrant and Parker Tonissi – competed in local tennis matches on the Sippican Tennis Club 18 and Under USTA team.
After playing eight matches in the Southeast Massachusetts USTA Summer League, the 7-1 Sippican team qualified to play in the Southeastern Massachusetts Section Championships in Winchester on August 6. After facing strong competition from the Fairhaven Tennis Academy and the Racquet Club of Newburyport, Sippican came out on top. With this win, the Marion team was invited to Amherst College to play in the New England Championships August 14-15.
Sippican played the top team from each of Western Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Each of the six regional teams represented fielded a mixed doubles team, a girls’ and boys’ singles team, and a girls’ and boys’ doubles team. Playing for Sippican were Caroline Godfrey and Tim Bolick at mixed doubles, Victoire Keane at girls’ singles, Ollie Kendall at boys’ singles, Hope Anderson and Julia Nojeim at girls’ doubles, and Ollie Sughrue, Owen Sughrue, and Henry Godfrey switching at boys’ doubles.
Over the course of the two-day tournament, each member fought hard to earn every game possible. Out of a maximum 200 points, Sippican earned 163. By the end of the tournament, Sippican clawed out third place, earning the title of being the third-best team in all of New England. Photo and caption courtesy Julia Nojeim.