HANOVER — Someone at Hanover Public Works had the best idea to help the Hanover High girls tennis team in its NHIAA Division II semifinal on Wednesday: Get the other team lost.
A detour around bridge deck construction greeted would-be tennis fans heading down Reservoir Road toward Storrs Pond Recreation Area. A flashing sign sent cars to the right and up a steep hill before hitting a cul de sac — no courts in sight.
Only when a native pointed out the absence of another detour marker at Rip Road did the back-way route become evident.
The visiting Bulldogs got the memo, arrived in plenty of time and left town with a 9-0 victory.
Seventh-year Hanover coach Liz Murray realizes there’s no easy path around Bedford (15-0), which will go for its third straight D-I title and its fifth in six years on Friday. The Bulldogs’ top-to-bottom excellence is built on year-round play, versatility in their approach to every opponent and a large, deep roster.
“They are very organized in terms of their playing,” Murray said. “They have a lot of skill. A lot of them have a lot of background in tennis. For some of them, it’s their primary sport. So we’re going up against a team that has a lot of skill.”
Having athletes who don’t mothball their racquets between July and March routinely makes Bedford one of the state’s best programs every spring, second-year coach Myles Utell. That became particularly important this year after New Hampshire lost last season to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It really comes down to how much in the offseason they put in the time,” Utell said. “It’s not just one or two good players. It’s a comprehensively strong lineup where I feel like our 7, 8, 9 and 10, who don’t get to play in as many matches as they really should, could beat a lot of other girls, because they put in the time year-round. It’s really kudos to them.”
It starts with Bedford senior ace Carley Citron, a power-hitting southpaw who got the better of Hanover No. 1 Eleanor van Aalst in their opening match, 8-0.
Citron repeatedly hit hard, flat balls at van Aalst, going to deuce in only one game and winning the last 10 points of the match to get the Bulldogs on the board.
Senior co-captain Taylor Suozzo follows, a lanky righty whose 8-3 victory at No. 2 singles over Hanover’s Carly Miles featured plenty of give and take. Suozzo showed her best form with a cannon of a two-fisted backhand to drive shots past Miles for points.
“Carley’s a much more serious player; she’s played high-level USTA tournaments for years,” Utell said. “Taylor is a very, very strong personality, where she’s very emotional. And this actually really helps her, because she doesn’t get too down on herself, and she can be really brought back up very quickly. If she makes a mistake, it’s very easy to get back.”
Despite the visitors’ dominance, Hanover (10-5) could point to some progress from back-to-back 9-0 losses to the Bulldogs from the season’s outset in mid-April, Murray said.
Sophomore Noura St. Hilaire provided the evidence in the day’s tightest contest, a loss to Bedford’s May Zheng at No. 4.
Down early, St. Hilaire reeled off three straight games for a 5-3 lead. Zheng broke St. Hilaire’s serve in game 10 to tie it at 5-5, fended off a break point of her own at 7-7 and finally put her opponent away with an overhead winner for the 9-7 decision.
“She’s a new player this year for me, and tennis hasn’t been her primary sport, but she’s developed tremendously and learned a lot about herself as a player,” Murray noted. “Her confidence in what she’s doing has built, but I also love the fact that she’s able to sort of roll with the punches and doesn’t really let things get in her head, which is a really good skill to have.”
Murray said it was clear St. Hilaire was enjoying herself. Hanover players were able to drop their COVID facemasks in competition about a week and a half ago, and the Hanover coach liked being able to see her players’ reactions on their faces rather than only above the bridges of their noses.
“I definitely think, as a coach, it’s a lot easier for me to read people,” Murray said. “But I’ve also had the advantage of being in the school all year; I teach, and I’m used to working with faces and what I can see of faces. But one of the biggest things, I think, is just their ability to play better because they can breathe. It’s really hard to breathe and play with a mask on.”
Paige Muir (8-2 over McKenzie Liu), Alisha Juneja (8-4 over Emilia Torresani) and Madison Whitcomb (8-0 over Lyric Wilson) grabbed Bedford’s other singles wins. Hanover’s doubles tandems of van Aalst-Miles at No. 1 and Liu-St. Hilaire at No. 2 put up challenges before dropping 8-5 decisions.
Bedford’s Zheng and Junija combined for an 8-1 third doubles defeat of Hanover’s Wilson and Natalie Feyrer.
It’s on to the finals now for Bedford.
They’re familiar with the route.
Aces: As Zheng and St. Hilaire battled in their singles encounter, Citron offered encouragement from an adjacent court. “You’re amazing,” she told her teammate. “You’re literally a May Zheng.” Rimshot, please. … Utell isn’t pleased that the NHIAA isn’t holding a state singles and doubles tournament next week: “Our seniors have been, in my opinion, robbed of their opportunity, and it’s an absolute shame. It’s an absolute travesty to our sport, especially in a small state like New Hampshire.” The extra round of play for an open team tournament was the reason given, Utell said. … Bedford meets either Derryfield or Dover in the D-I final at Dover High School on Friday. … Murray loses just two players — Miles and Wilson — to graduation.
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.