Eagles advance in MIAA Division 4 State Tournament

#11 Mystic Valley defeated #6 Lenox Memorial 5-0 on Tuesday afternoon

By Emily Brennan

Mystic Valley boys’ tennis captured victory in their second round of the MIAA State Tournament, taking down the #6 seed Lenox Memorial by a score of 5-0 to earn the first Elite Eight appearance in school history. It was Mystic Valley striking first in doubles as #2 Eli DeTore/Ryan Co outplayed Devon Smits/Aiden Tran to a 6-2, 6-0 final. All eyes were then turned to #1 Rakshit Rangaprasad/Jonathan Yip and Juan Manrique/Ayden Shove, who were even at 3-3 in the second set after the Eagles took the first. In the end it was Mystic Valley coming out on top with a 6-2, 6-3 final.

Ethan Co was the first to finish his singles match, making light work of Michael Piretti, 6-0, 6-2. On the next court, it was a highly anticipated matchup featuring #2 Wes Cunningham and Alexander Kolean. It was Cunningham establishing dominance with a 6-2, 6-2 win. Jay Raj was quick to follow suit as he claimed victory with a 6-1, 6-0 performance versus Alex Fuster, giving Mystic Valley the 5-0 win.

“The boys played with such finesse,” remarked Head Coach Stacy Smith. “ It was extremely hot, and we rode for 3 hours to get to Lenox. But it was worth it. Everyone played their best and I could not be prouder!”

Earlier in the week, #3 seed Manchester Essex defeated #14 Ipswich, setting up a third-round matchup between the Eagles and Hornets. The two teams faced off on Saturday, June 8. Manchester Essex won, 4-1. The winner will advance to the Final Four of the Division 4 boy’s tennis state tournament.