Monica Herman felt inclined to do her due diligence on her team’s upcoming opponent. After all, it was one they had never seen.
The coach immediately noticed this foe was undefeated, and made assumptions accordingly.
“I was expecting it to be a really tough, tight, close match,” Herman said. “I thought it was going to go 3-2 in one direction.”
Her group was tasked with solving the seemingly unsolvable.
That’s exactly what they did.
Lenox Memorial girls tennis (15-1) knocked off Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter (21-1) by a 4-1 score Saturday at the Ludlow Tennis Club. In sentencing the Dragons to the loss column for the first time in 2025, the Millionaires extended their reign in Western Mass.
They’re now Class C champions three years running.
“A lot of these girls started with me when they were much younger, and have really blossomed in the past couple of years,” Herman said. “That’s what’s really getting it done.”
Lenox Memorial claimed the crown by way of six different underclassmen – no juniors or seniors accounted for a point.
It swept doubles play without dropping a set. Reeva Patel and Julia Zanin partnered up for a 6-4, 6-4 result at first doubles, while Lauren Romano and Brooklyn Butler produced an even cleaner showing of 6-1, 6-4 on the neighboring court.
Headlining the squad is Katie Shove – a sophomore who’s been with the program since eighth grade. The captain and first singles player is now 13-2 this campaign following a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Elisa Shinn.
“She has such a steep learning curve‚” Herman said. “She just really improved so much from the beginning of the season to the end of the season with a lot of competition.”
The Millionaires’ fourth point Saturday – not in that order – came from Caroline Kump, who dispatched Sabine Loinaz in 6-2, 6-0 fashion, punctuating her own outing with a bagel.
Now Herman’s crew shifts its attention to the MIAA Division IV state tournament, for which it’s seeded No. 12 following a 13-1 regular season.
Lenox Memorial will commence its run against No. 21 Frontier Regional – a team it defeated 4-1 back on April 11 – in the Round of 32, at a time and date yet to be announced.
