Skippers Girls Tennis Falls to Rams

The North Kingstown High School girls tennis team dropped the first of its three scheduled home games this week, falling to Division-I South leader La Salle Academy Tuesday.

"We played them once before and our scores are better than before, so that's what you look for: that you are improving a little bit," North Kingstown head coach Jacques Faulise said.

Senior Breanne Penkala sealed the match for the Rams at second singles after senior Isabel O'Brien was unable to handle a return in the ninth game of the second set.  Penkala took the match 6-2, 6-3, giving La Salle (9-1 overall, 9-1 D-I South) the victory.

Junior Hannah Zangari continued to be a consistent performer for the Skippers, accounting for the only victory at No. 1 singles 6-4, 6-0 over the Rams' Amanda Pitocco.

"Hannah is the best tennis player to come through North Kingstown without a doubt," Faulise said. 

Pitocco, a strong-serving lefty, presented some problems for Zangari in the first set, but the Skippers' ace quickly figured her out in the second set to take the shutout.

"She has a lefty serve that comes out wide to the back hand, and then she usually comes back with a winner, so I just tried to hit it hard and deep and go from there," Zangari said. 

This week is going to be the biggest week of the season for the Skippers, who have three home games with the end of the season rapidly approaching. 

Sitting at 3-7 in D-I South, the Skippers have matches against Moses Brown on Wednesday and The Prout School on Thursday before their season finale with Barrington the following week. 

"Moses Brown is probably on the same level as us, and so is Prout, so they're both going to be tough matches," senior Katie Brown said.

Wins over Moses Brown and Prout would just about guarantee that the Skippers qualify for the State Tournament.

"There's pressure, but I think that all of us together can pull through," Zangari said.  "I think we'll be able to make the state tournament for our team if we win two more matches, which I think we can definitely do."

If the Skippers are going to make it past the Quakers and Crusaders and into the playoffs, they are going to need an increase in production outside of No. 1 singles.   

"I've got a good number one player and I like to count on her to win, but I've got to get four points," Faulise said. 

"It's not like in basketball where someone can score 50 or 60 points, she can only get one, so I have to have the other girls step up."

Girls Tennis

La Salle 6, North Kingstown 1

Singles: 1, Zangari (NK) def. Pitocco 6-4, 6-0; 2, Penkala (L) def. I. O'Brien 6-2, 6-3; 3, Nigro (L) def. Brown 6-0, 6-1; 4, Ciccarone (L) def. Ma. O'Brien 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles: 1, Venditti-Reilly (L) def. Smith-Me. O'Brien 7-5, 6-4; 2, Caranza-Smith (L) def. Andrews-Morabit 6-1, 6-2; 3, Christy-Mannix (L) def. Goff-Drought 6-3, 6-3.