Top Cats! Weston Slips Past Wayland, 3-2

The Weston girls tennis team started its Division 3 state title defense with a 4-1 loss to Division 1 power Lincoln-Sudbury, but a little home cooking got the Wildcats back on track.

The Wildcats defeated cross-town rival Wayland Wednesday night, needing to win a tie-breaker in the No.1 doubles match to seal the nail-biting 3-2 victory over the Warriors. 

Sophomore Deniz Cataltepe and senior tri-captain Olivia Stranberg outlasted a late Warriors rally in a 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 win to give Weston (1-1) their first win of the season.

“They hung in real well because after they won 6-4, [Wayland] adjusted well to their game,” said Weston head coach, Bill Steinroeder.  “We stayed competitive after dropping the second set 0-6 so I was pleasantly surprised with a good, steady third [set] knowing it was a critical match.”

Despite less than ideal weather conditions, things looked bright early on for the 'Cats,  as Weston took the first two of three singles matches. Senior tri-captain Allison Hupalo improved to 2-0 on the season with a 6-0, 6-1 win, while Naomi Garlick jumped into the winners circle with a 6-4, 6-2 win after losing her first match of the season 6-1, 6-1.

But a loss in No. 3 singles and a quick loss in No.2 doubles left everything up to Cataltepe and Stranberg, and they delivered with an impressive 7-0 tie-breaker set to earn the win.

Weston faces Newton South, another Division 1 school, before it embarks on a grueling week of five matches starting Monday. 

 “We are scheduled like that due to the rainouts and the postponements so it gets pretty intense from here on out and we have so little time for practice,” said Steinroeder.