ADDISON COUNTY — The improving Middlebury Union High School boys’ tennis team came up short of its second win on Thursday, but two Tigers earned their first-ever singles wins as the squad fell to visiting BFA-St. Albans, 5-2.
Also on Thursday, the Tiger girls’ team kept rolling, edging host BFA-St. Albans, 4-3, to improve to 7-1, but the OV girls were unable to earn their second win of the spring, falling to visiting Division II power Woodstock, 7-0.
TIGER BOYS
Co-coach Ken Schoen saw signs of progress for his one-win team in Thursday’s setback and in a 4-3 loss to U-32 earlier in the week.
“The boys are gelling. They’re coming together. They’re playing way more consistently,” Schoen said.
He was most happy about junior Jon Fitzcharles’ first-ever singles match, played in the No. 4 slot, and sophomore Owen Hammel’s effort at No. 5 singles.
Fitzcharles, who for three seasons has used his six-foot-three frame as a doubles specialist, prevailed in a tiebreaker by taking advantage of his height to approach the net and either hit winners or force his opponent to make mistakes.
Hammel, playing only for the third time in singles, had lost twice in closely contested matches, but on Thursday used consistent groundstrokes, poise and quickness to dominate the second set and a tiebreaker to break through for his first singles victory.
“Jonny really stepped it up. He played with a lot of focus in his tiebreak, as did Owen. Owen played a really good second set, played smart. I was really pleased with how both those boys played,” Schoen said.
The individual scores were:
•  At No. 1 singles, Jake Remillard, BFA, defeated Bo Tran, M, 6-3, 6-2.
•  At No. 2 singles, Dan Barrow, BFA, defeated Bob Avery, M, 6-2, 6-0.
•  At No. 3 singles, Thomas Allentown, BFA, defeated Jerry Staret, M, 6-4, 6-2.
•  At No. 4 singles, Fitzcharles, M, defeated Laurent Gagne, BFA, 6-1, 2-6, 1-0 (10-7).
•  At No. 5 singles, Hammel, M, defeated Logan Mapes, BFA, 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-7).
•  At No. 1 doubles, Will Tenneburger/Paul Lowe, BFA, defeated Ben Silver/Eric Podraza, M, 6-0, 6-2.
•  At No. 2 doubles, Jacob Pelkey/Jacob DeBellis, BFA, defeated Raymond Bushey/Ronan Howlett, M, 6-0, 6-4.
MUHS GIRLS
The Tiger girls continued to rely on the one-two punch of top singles players Marvie Avery and Bree Cotroneo, each of whom have lost just once this year, and solid doubles play in edging the Comets in their match. A tiebreaker win by the Tigers’ No. 1 doubles team proved to be pivotal.
The individual results were: 
•  At No. 1 singles, Avery, M, defeated Dianne Benedicto, BFA, 6-0, 6-0.
•  At No. 2 singles, Cotroneo, M, defeated Jana Somero, BFA, 6-2, 6-1.
•  At No. 3 singles, Michele McKay, BFA, defeated Faith Isham, M, 6-2, 6-1.
•  At No. 4 singles, Laurel Hebert, BFA, defeated Hannah Stoll, M, 7-5, 6-1.
•  At No. 5 singles, Mariah Stanley, BFA, defeated Amelia Ingersoll, M, 6-1, 6-3.
•  At No. 1 doubles, Jesse Wulfman/Monroe Cromis, M, defeated Adut Morgan/Shannon Callahan, BFA, 6-2, 5-7, 10-7.
•  At No. 2 doubles, Claire Wulfman/Charlotte Keathley, M, defeated Paige Bedard/Marissa Needleman, BFA, 6-0, 6-2.
OV GIRLS
The shorthanded OV squad had to forfeit three matches played on Pittsford’s recreation courts. The OV highlight was at No. 1 singles, where Sarah Young took Woodstock’s top player to a tiebreaker.
•  At No. 1 singles, Woodstock’s Gracie Frazie W, defeated Young O, 2-6, 6-4, 10-5.
•  At No. 2 singles, Tilita Kormunski W, defeated Jonna Keith, O,  6-0, 6-0.
•  At No. 3 singles, Emma McLiverty W, defeated Ghislaine Robin, O, 6-0, 6-1.
•  At No. 1 doubles, Sarah Findeisen and Haley Ulisitan W, defeated Katelynne Patten and Brittany Danforth, O, 6-1, 6-1.
TIGER JUNIOR JOHN Fitzcharles was one of two Middlebury winners at last Thursday’s match against BFA-St. Albans.
Independent photo/Trent Campbell