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LONGMEADOW, Mass. — In a display of unparalleled skill and determination, the Longmeadow High School girl’s tennis team secured their first Massachusetts D-2 state championship title since 1995 in a thrilling showdown against Notre Dame Academy at MIT.

Despite facing formidable opponents around the state, the girls finished a perfect season going undefeated, 26-0.

The 2023-24 team consisted of 22 players which is the largest team Coach Mike Framarin has ever had. Only seven players play in any given match, and there aren’t substitutions like soccer or basketball, so that means 15 players aren’t playing. During practice, there is intense competition for playing time, but even those not in the top seven found a way to contribute by pushing each other during practice, helping out during matches, and just supporting each other. Throughout the season, Coach Framarin spread out playing time as best he could. Obviously, the top players play more often, but everyone played at least once during the year.

The LHS ROSTER:

Seniors:

• Lia Manoussoff (Captain)
• Grace Tyler (Captain)
• Marly Ducharme (Captain)
• Sophie Dove
• Emily Brais

Juniors:

• Sarah Tiru (Captain)
• Mary Desrosiers
• Becky Mlapah
• Tess Maggi
• Maia Oh
• Sophia Nowak

Sophomores:

• Bailey Downes
• Ellen Kennedy
• Kelci Talati
• Anaya Mohani
• Nora McMahon
• Margo Steiger
• Nilani Mathur
• Elsie Krein

Freshmen:

• Genevieve Vonnahme
• Olivia Waterhouse
• Aleena Razzaq

Come playoff time, the starters who played throughout the state playoffs were as follows:

1st singles: Sarah Tiru. Semifinalist in the WMASS individual tournament. A gifted athlete who only took up tennis four years ago. Very driven, works incredibly hard during the season and in the off-season. A true leader on the team.

2nd singles: Sophie Dove. Very talented player who has been playing tennis most of her life. Very technically sound. Did not play HS tennis her junior year, so coming back for her senior year was a huge reason the team was able to go undefeated and win state.

3rd singles: Bailey Downes. Extremely consistent. Great conditioning and fast. Also newer to tennis, but gets better and better every week. Never-quit mentality. Had an amazing three set comeback win in the WMASS finals to beat Minnechaug.

1st doubles: Grace Tyler and Lia Manoussoff. Won the WMASS doubles individual title. Best doubles team in WMASS. Each have been in the team’s top seven for four years, playing doubles and singles. Great friends off the court, great communication and team chemistry.

2nd doubles: Ellen Kennedy and Marly Ducharme. WMASS doubles individual runners-up. A new team this year, but complement each other very well. Both are very consistent. Undefeated in regular and postseason play.

This team had a lot of talent…all would be starting on basically every other team in WMASS.

Some high-points of the season were, in chronological order:

• Beating Deerfield Academy, a perennial power in the prep-school league, in a pre-season scrimmage.
• The team trip where the team spent the weekend in late April on Cape Cod. There, they trained all weekend and beat Nauset High School in a match.
• The WMASS individual tournament…the doubles teams both made it to the finals, and Sarah Tiru made it to the semifinals in the singles bracket.
• Closing out the regular season undefeated
• Winning the school鈥檚 eighth straight WMASS title, by narrowly beating Minnechaug 3-2…it came down to a 3rd set thriller in 3rd singles.
• Advancing to the Final Four in the state tournament. Only LHS and Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion School boys team have ever advanced that far, in any division, boys or girls, since the current state tournament format was enacted.
• Winning the State Title at MIT against Notre Dame Academy. First state title for any WMASS team since the current state format was created鈥� second state title for Longmeadow girls tennis (1st since 1995).

Coach Michael Framarin describes how his players were supported by fantastic parents:

鈥淥ur parents were always extremely supportive of the team and my decisions. They always made sure the girls were available to play and practice, often needing to re-arrange vacation plans. We couldn’t have done it without them. Our parent booster club pays for equipment, our team Cape Cod trip, indoor court time. Amy Tyler was the booster club president and May Oh was the treasurer.鈥�

鈥淎ll in all, the team was on a mission from Day 1. We knew we were very deep and talented, but the team made it their mission to win every game and ultimately the state title. The team was extremely mentally tough. We went 26-0 overall, but there were a handful of matches that could have gone either way, and we always found a way to win. It was a remarkable season…one I’ve never experienced before.鈥�

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