BEDFORD — Hanover High ran into a Bedford High buzzsaw in an NHIAA Division I girls tennis semifinal matchup on Monday afternoon. The Bears were swept 9-0 by the unbeaten No. 1 seed Bulldogs.
While Monday’s postseason matchup did not turn out as Head Coach Liz Murray and her No. 4-seeded Bears had hoped, she was pleased with how her team competed.
“Bedford just had what they needed today, which is great, and I am really proud of how everyone played, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Bedford play in the finals,” she said.
The Bulldogs took the first five completed singles matches, with 8-2 being the closest margin, to clinch a state championship appearance. Bedford also took all three doubles matches to secure the sweep.
Sophomore Nour Tannous picked up Hanover’s only win in the regular-season matchup between the two squads, which saw Bedford defeat the Bears 8-1 early last month. On Monday, Tannous at No. 4 singles had the team’s most competitive match.
She battled to an 8-6 loss in the final singles match to finish, even though her squad’s championship hopes had already been dashed.
“That just shows her perseverance and the grit that she has,” Murray said. “I’m really proud that she stuck with it. I think she really wanted it and she dug deep for it, and that’s great. I would have loved to see her get the win at the end.”
The semifinal marked the end of a strong season for the Bears, made more impressive by the fact the team replaced five of their top six contributors from a year ago and fielded a singles ladder that featured four underclassmen.
The Bears finished the regular season 11-3 and were among just four teams in Division I to record more than 10 victories before the playoffs.
Those results have Murray excited for the future.
“I’m really looking forward to next season and beyond because I think we’re just going to continue to grow in terms of our depth,” she said.
Murray said she has seen growth from players on her squad who were not in the top six this season and was excited about the potential of some rising freshmen.
“I think it’s only onward and upward from here,” she said.
