Riding momentum from her singles’ championship on Friday, Sydney Herrington and her partner Ravalika Damerla reached the NHIAA girls’ doubles semifinals for the second consecutive year. Herrington and Damerla earned a bye in the first round, ranking as the No. 2 seed in the double’s tournament with a 15-0 record. The duo dispatched of Windham’s Natalie DeByle and Jennifer Thibodeau, 8-4, in the second round before meeting Concord’s Alexandra Killinger and Becky Cistulli on Sunday. Behind Herrington’s aggressive play and Damerla’s persistence at the net, the Giant duo advanced with an 8-6 win.
Last season, the Bishop Brady doubles’ team of Harrington and Lin Yoon reached the NHIAA semifinals, but due to an overseas trip, had to default and drop out.
“We’ll never know what could’ve happened,” Brady Coach Lee Herrington said.
Coach Herrington said Damerla has made significant improvements in the last year, moving up from the team’s No. 3 to No. 2 and playing with Herrington all season as the team’s top doubles group.
“The two have great chemistry,” Coach Herrington said. “Sydney’s comfort in playing aggressively, combined with her being a lefty, has been huge and Ravalika has really risen to the challenge.”
Herrington’s powerful serve helped set the tone for the Giants and Damerla was consistent at the net all day. The key moment in the match occurred when the score was tied, 6-6. With Concord serving, Killinger targeted Damerla at the net, which was a theme throughout the match. Damerla responded by ripping a forehand down the line at knee-level, winning the volley for Brady.
“The Concord girls played really well, they’re aggressive and the matched hinged on that key point,” Coach Herrington said.
Bishop Brady’s duo looks ahead to Exeter’s Melissa Wood and Kate Lietz on Tuesday, a team that Coach Herrington was unable to see play because they both played at the same time. Although they haven’t met, Herrington said his team’s gameplan won’t change much.
“Doubles is a game of aggression,” he said. “Executing at the net can win and end points for you, and I always tell them to avoid hitting the net man and beating the opposing team to the net. That goes for any matchup, regardless of who you’re playing.”
From coaches’ reports
New England Championships
Key players: Concord – Grace Devanny (3rd in 400, 9th in 100); Merrimack Valley – Kristie Schoffield (6th in 1600, 7th in 800); Coe-Brown – Elisabeth Danis (6th in 3200)
Highlights/key moments: Grace Devanny had the best finish of the local group, finishing third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 57.24 seconds. She was also ninth in the 100, just .76 seconds off first place with a time of 12.66. Schoffield had two top-10 finishes (2:14.45 in the 800, 4:59.11 in the 3200) and Danis rounded out the local top-10s with a sixth-place finish in the 3200 (10:43.69).
New England championships
Key players: Concord – Angel Feliz (8th in 100, 7th in long jump); Hopkinton – Dom Repucci (10th in 3200), Kevin McGrath (4th in high jump); Merrimack Valley – Brandon Wood (3rd in 110)
Highlights/key moments: Wood had the best finish of locals with his third-place finish in the 110 hurdles (15.21 seconds), while Angel Feliz had two top-ten finishes and anchored the 4×100 relay team that finished seventh. McGrath’s fourth place finish in the high jump was measured at 6 feet, 5 inches.