The Avon and Canton High girls tennis team concluded the season Tuesday night with a match under the lights at Avon Middle School.
AVON, May 26 – It was the final time that Canton and Avon met on the athletic field of play as conference rivals.
The two schools have been competing against each other in athletics since 1959. Outside of two years in the early 1980s when Canton left the Northwest Conference, the two schools have been members of the same conference since 1964. In September, Avon leaves the North Central Connecticut Conference to begin play in the Central Connecticut Conference
On Tuesday night, the Avon High girls tennis team beat Canton, 6-1, under the new lights at the community tennis courts on the grounds of Avon Middle School. It was the first official event under the lights on the courts.
Dozens of parents and students watched the action that began in the waning hours of the afternoon and concluded under the illumination of the lights. It was a special night for Laura Young, president of ACORN, the Avon Community Recreational Neighborhood group that has been helping lead the fundraising efforts to refurbish the courts and to install the lights.
Avon’s Kendall Held is the No. 1 singles player for AHS.
Working together, volunteers from ACORN, the town of Avon, the school district and the Avon High Booster Club completed the projects. Major donors for the lights included the Hoffman Foundation, the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), the Avon High Booster Club and the parent-teacher organizations at Avon High and Avon Middle School. Proceeds from an adult mixed doubles tournament at the Farmington Valley Racquet Club and donations from the sale of benches also helped.
They raised $175,000 to reconstruct the courts and another $75,000 to purchase and install the lights. The courts reopened in June 2012 after three years of fundraising and construction. The lights were installed this spring after another three years of fundraising and installation. There is no charge to use the lights and the courts are open until 10 p.m. each night.
“I’m really happy to see the community come together under the lights,” Young said. “They are the community’s courts. They’re not just here for the students. They are here for everyone.”
In its final season in the NCCC, Avon is 10-8 record and finished in second place behind Ellington. The Falcons were 9-1 in the league behind the undefeated Purple Knights (15-1, 10-0), which won its second consecutive league championship. Avon and Ellington had a non-league bout scheduled for Wednesday.
Avon hopes to grab the league tournament championship on Thursday when they play in the NCCC tournament at Suffield Academy beginning at 9:30 a.m. The Falcons have won the last three league tournaments. Avon beat Suffield High by just a point a year ago.
In singles, Avon is led by senior Kendall Held at No. 1 singles followed by senior Tait Becker at No. 2, freshman Riley Abate at No. 3 singles senior Gaby Burns at No. 4. In doubles, senior Shana Morel and sophomore Shayna Aronson are at No. 1 with sophomore Ariel Birkenruth and senior Cathy Jenner at No. 2 doubles. Freshman Ava Duxin and sophomore Krista Wise at No. 3 doubles.
Fans gather around the court to watch Tuesday night’s match at Avon Middle School.
Canton (4-12, 3-5 NCCC) missed out on the CIAC Class S tournament as a team but has two singles players and a doubles team that qualified to participate in the state tournament. The loss of Emily Miller, a junior captain, to a foot injury earlier in the year hurt. The Warriors dropped five matches by a 4-3 margin.
Second-year coach Stephen Riley likes where the team is going and the progress they are making. There are ten freshmen and seven sophomores on the squad.
Freshman Kate Hynes, the No. 1 singles player on the team, will play in the state tournament along with No. 2 sophomore Lillian Grabowski. Canton’s top doubles team of senior Miranda Fitzpatrick and freshman Lindsay Vacca also qualified for the Class S tournament. Riley shuffled the lineup for the Avon bout with Grabowski moving up to No. 1 singles and Vacca playing No. 2 singles. Hynes played at No. 1 doubles. Fitzpatrick and Hynes split the first two sets with Movel and Aronson. They played a tiebreaker to ensure they completed the match before the 10 p.m. curfew.
Canton will also be competing in Thursday’s NCCC Tournament at Suffield Academy.
Avon 6, Canton 1
At Avon
Singles: Kendall Held (A) def. Lillian Grabowski, 6-0, 6-2; Tait Becker (A) def. Lindsay Vacca, 6-2, 6-4; Riley Abate (A) def. Sabrina Almeida, 6-0, 6-0; Gaby Burns (A) def. Kayla Underfoffler, 6-1, 6-1
Doubles: Miranda Fitzpatrick/Katherine Hynes (C) def. Shana Movel/Shayna Aronson, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 (tiebreaker); Ariel Birkenruth/Cathy Jenner (A) def. Lindsay LaClair/Sam Dionnek 6-3, 6-2; Ava Duxin/Krista Wise (A) def. Marissa Schroterl/Elizabeth Walburger, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Avon 10-8, 9-1 NCCC; Canton 4-12, 3-7 NCCC
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