WOODSTOCK — Those Woodstock High girls tennis players. They do love to repeat themselves.
Senior Katey MacMaster, in particular. One year ago, the Wasps’ No. 4 singles competitor scored the deciding point in Woodstock’s last VPA Division II state championship win. Darned if she didn’t do it again on Thursday.
MacMaster’s 6-4, 6-1 decision over U-32’s Addie Hannan set off another Woodstock title celebration in what eventually ended as a 5-2 win for the top-ranked Wasps (14-0) over the second-seeded Raiders (11-2) at the Woodstock Athletic Club. It didn’t hurt that MacMaster had been in this situation before.
“It’s always incredible,” MacMaster said moments after her victory. “I try to block out pretty much everything during the match just so I don’t get too in my head. … I just wanted to do the best I could, and I knew my team would be proud of me no matter what.”
Longtime coach Tom Hopewell had six seniors on this spring’s edition, four of whom have been on the varsity their entire careers and now have three state championship plaques for their work. All played roles in the Wasps’ second straight undefeated campaign.
Singles No. 1 Momo Biele and top doubles tandem Kenzie Biele and Chloe Noble won quickly, as did junior No. 3 Olivia Marsicovetere. MacMaster’s point became pertinent after U-32’s Lucy Krokenberger outlasted Woodstock’s Lydia Howe at No. 2 in a three-set marathon decided by a lengthy tiebreak.
“Kids love tennis; I love teaching tennis,” Hopewell said. “Can’t make it simpler than that.
“They’ve been afforded the opportunity here, which is a nice spot. It’s a great mix to have: Community, parents — specifically, tennis parents — and to me, that’s a winning combination.”
That mix underwent some tweaks before the Wasps made their way outdoors two months ago.
Hopewell moved Kenzie Biele, Momo’s twin sister, from singles to first doubles with Chloe Noble, knowing he’d still have Momo atop the ladder and plenty of depth filling in from the back. The move proved prescient recently when Woodstock’s new No. 1 doubles tandem rolled to a VPA doubles championship, a program first.
All were solid against U-32 in Thursday’s D-II team finale. Marsicovetere provided the first Woodstock point with a 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Eva Jessup at No. 3 singles, with Noble and Kenzie Biele following moments later with a 6-2, 6-1 first doubles win over Zoie Beauregard and Sierra Henderson.
Momo Biele made it 3-0 for the home team a few minutes after that, completing a 6-1, 6-1 verdict over U-32’s Ginger Knight. The left-handed Biele consistently played to her strength, driving the ball deep into places from which Knight had difficulty returning.
“I was a little nervous at the beginning,” Biele said. “I was really excited to see this big turnout, but with that comes a little more pressure. I really felt like I got off on an offensive foot with my serve, and I felt like as long as I could move my opponent around and just be patient, I could sort of get those points and be in control.
“I normally feel more comfortable on the baseline using just power and topspin rather than coming to the net. But I like to change things up occasionally.”
Woodstock seemed destined for an easy team win, only for Krokenberger intervene at second singles. She and the Wasps’ Howe split the first two sets of their encounter — Howe winning, 6-3, with Krokenberger answering, 6-0 — to set up a first-to-10 tiebreak to decide the match. Krokenberger led twice by two points early, and Howe rebounded for an 8-7 advantage late, but Krokenberger eventually claimed the 13-11 decision.
That put MacMaster back in the role in which she excelled last spring, when she locked down the decisive point in a 5-2 title defeat of Harwood.
“Winning at home is incredible because there’s so many people here supporting us,” said MacMaster, who made liberal use of a hefty two-fisted backhand to overpower her foe. “Having that happen is fantastic.
“(This season) was pretty much picking up where we left off. We try to do the same thing every year — just have as much fun as we can, do the best we can. No matter what, we know we’re going to be incredibly proud of each other. There’s pressure, but we try not to put that pressure on ourselves because we’re so proud of each other.”
So is Hopewell, who was quick to credit assistant coach Kimbel Biele and WAC director of tennis Adri Atkinson for their help in keeping Woodstock at the top of the Vermont girls tennis mountain. Again.
“I’m just feeling really proud,” Momo Biele said. “We all practiced and played hard throughout the season, and I think it was really successful. I think we played with just the same amount of love for the sport as all the other seasons.”
Aces: The teams split the final two matches after MacMaster’s clincher. Woodstock’s Lilly Holding and Julianna Beraldi took second doubles, 6-3, 7-5, and U-32’s Robyn Dudley defeated the Wasps’ Tierney Dugan at fifth singles, 7-6 (3), 6-3. … The Wasps now own 11 VPA girls tennis crowns. … Woodstock last lost on April 28 2017, in a 4-3 decision to Mount Anthony. The Wasps are 49-1 over the last three campaigns. … Momo Biele is heading off to Duke University to begin studies in neuroscience this fall. “We’ve got eight more years of college, and then probably four to seven years of residency,” estimated Biele, who hopes to play club tennis. “So, yeah, I’m playing the long game.” … Aside from the Bieles, MacMaster, Noble and Dugan, Woodstock also graduates Natalie Strayton. MacMaster: “I’m so ready to see what they can do in the future.”
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.