MATTAPOISETT — Earlier this spring, Old Rochester Regional High School girls tennis coach Kyle Noseworthy said he hopes the team will reach the final four of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament.

On Tuesday, June 4, the Bulldogs took down Danvers High School 5-0, putting the team one step away from reaching Noseworthy’s goal.

It will be no easy step. Old Rochester, who sits at 18-0 on the season, is matched up in the quarterfinals against Newburyport High School, the defending Division III state champion.

In the round of 16 against Danvers, the top two singles players, Neva Matos and Macy Ingham, found themselves in competitive matches early on, but each quickly turned the tides to win in straight sets.

Matos trailed 2-1 in the first set and 2-0 in the second but rallied to handedly win each.

Ingham and her opponent were tied at four games apiece in the first set before the Old Rochester senior took home the last two games to take the lead, 1-0.

Ingham kept that momentum going, sweeping the second set six games to none.

“First singles, second singles and first doubles, they were all three really tight matches,” said Noseworthy. “It was awesome to see them pull through. A 5-0 win just feels a little different.”

Noseworthy said that the team has been determined to stay undefeated, noting that the players could have become complacent after clinching a playoff berth and league title.

“The kids just keep fighting,” said Noseworthy. “No matter how good we get, they understand that you can always do better.”

The Bulldogs now move on to the quarterfinal round, where their season came to an end a year ago.

Noseworthy believes his team is eager to keep a “zero” in the Bulldogs’ loss column.

“It is huge to see that zero there,” he said. “They are doing everything they can to maintain it.
They understand that they are not playing for themselves, they are playing for the team as a whole.

The time and date for the Bulldogs’ matchup with Newburyport is to be determined.