WELLESLEY – The thought of lifting a three-peat trophy isn’t there. Nor is the weight of envisioning a triumphant leap off the courts at MIT in mid-June.
A pressure-free season continued for the Wellesley girls tennis team on a warm Wednesday afternoon; the Raiders won each match in straight sets over rival Framingham, a usual occurrence this time of year.
But no one is forecasting a run through the postseason like last year, when the Raiders dropped just three individual matches in a five-match march to a 24-0 record and a second consecutive Division 1 championship.
Not that it won’t happen. Expectations, however, are different for a team that brought back just two players – because of injury, graduation or by choice – from a year ago.
Senior captain Sari Hart, part of the first doubles team that clinched a 3-2 win over Lexington to sew up the title and perfect season last spring, addressed the stress factor.
“Honestly, it’s just the opposite,” she said after teaming with classmate and fellow captain Sophie Sarly at No. 1 doubles (6-1, 6-1) vs. Framingham. “Especially after last year; there was immense pressure to do the same thing all over again. Winning feels a lot more exciting and earned. There was such low expectations (this year); surpassing them feels so much better.”
The No. 8-seeded Raiders improved to 16-3 and will likely face Belmont in the Division 1 Round of 16. The impressive record is a feat that Wellesley coach Rob Miller compared to a certain basketball team that also entered the season missing key parts.
“We’re like the Celtics,” he said. “Nothing was expected.”
Miller spoke after Mia Chung earned a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 1 singles over Alisa Pokinboroda to give Wellesley a 4-0 lead. That left senior Charlotte McDonough on the court against a resilient Brooklyn Adams.
McDonough, who did not start last year, typically plays at No. 3 singles. But she moved up the ladder Wednesday because the usual No. 2, Natalie Dudkina, suffered an ankle injury.
While Miller was talking about how even a .500 season would be an accomplishment, McDonough’s passing shot eluded Adams.
“Look at that shot!” he blurted out. “Charlotte!”
After McDonough won the first set 6-4, she had an opportunity to win the match on her serve in the second set and later fell behind in the tiebreaker. But she rallied to win as the shadows started to grow long.
“She’s a gamer,” Miller said. “She plays all her matches like this. She hangs in there and hangs in there.”
Elizabeth Ding dropped just two games at No. 3 singles as Anastasia Canellos and Liana Gordon did the same at second doubles on an 87-degree day.
“It was so hot today. I was getting really tired,” Chung said. “You just have to stay positive and energetic. Just keep playing every point and every ball.”
With a playoff victory secured, does the pressure go up?
“Maybe a little bit,” Sarly said. “We’re not as good as we were last year, but I feel like we’re able to prove that we’re still good.”
Kate Snow, the team’s third senior captain, is unable to play this season due to an ACL injury suffered over the summer. But she had made supporting her team a priority.
“This team means a lot to me,” she said. “It’s just the people and the environment. It’s just so fun to be around, just to support everyone else, because they’re working so hard.”
The seemingly carefree season has already surpassed expectations. Nobody is backing down, however.
“It’s definitely been enjoyable; we’re all very competitive, though,” Chung said. “I’m looking forward to the next round.”
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Instagram at tdumas1.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Wellesley girls tennis feeling no pressure to win states again