String of singles victories allows QHS boys tennis team to rally to knock off QND

QUINCY — Mike Terry reminded the bottom four players in the Quincy High School boys tennis team’s singles lineup just how valuable their efforts could be.

“I called them in and said, ‘We need these four matches,’” the veteran coach said. “I knew we’d have a rough time at Nos. 1 and 2, not because our guys are bad but because their guys are good. So I knew we were going to have tough matches.

“So I was really proud of our guys for coming through and not losing a set.”

Trailing Quincy Notre Dame 4-1 in the final regular-season dual at Greeman Tennis Center in Reservoir Park, the Blue Devils went on a roll by winning the final four matches played to earn a 5-4 victory and sweep the season series.

QHS won the first dual 6-3 on April 25.

“I’m very happy with how our guys fought back,” Terry said. “I was worried after our No. 3 doubles team dropped that match because it was so close.”

QND and QHS split the top two doubles matches as the Raiders’ Marko Cucuk and Andrew Catalpa scored an 8-2 victory at No. 1 and the Blue Devils’ Anderson Knapp and Jason Derian won 8-4 at No. 3. At No. 3, QND’s Colin Larson and Ian Paxton outlasted Preston Trinh and Jayden Nguyen 9-8, winning an 8-6 tiebreaker.

Cucuk beat Gavin Wang 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, while Catalpa knocked off Will Hanlin 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 to put a team victory just one win away. That’s when the Blue Devils mounted their comeback.

“As those guys were battling, we just started knocking them off,” Terry said.

Keshav Ghankar changed the momentum with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over QND’s Alex Strong at No. 3 singles. Blake Degitz at No. singles came off the court with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Larson, and Derian followed with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Daniel Dyer at No. 6. Knapp finished it off with a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Paxton at No. 4.

“It was like one after the other and they just kept winning,” Terry said.