The Wildcats stood at the precipice of doing what no team had done all season. None could manage it last year either.
One set remained with a shot at upending the undefeated defending state champions. Better yet, the deciding match had just flipped in their favor.
“We had the momentum. That second doubles team was on fire,” said Milton coach Maggie Radley.
But elements beyond their control interfered. One lightning strike induced an inflection point.
Sophomore Caitlin Sanchez and freshman Viena Do – after splitting their first two frames – were forced to endure an hour-long pause in play.
Resurgence vanished.
Falling short of a Final Four berth, No. 8 Milton girls tennis (12-7) dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 1 Longmeadow (22-0) on Friday in the MIAA Division II state quarterfinals.
Lightning in the area imposed a 30-minute delay immediately after Sanchez and Do claimed their second set. Weather only worsened, moving the match from Longmeadow High School’s Blinn Tennis Courts to the Enfield Tennis Club in nearby Connecticut.
It’s the second straight season in which the Wildcats have lost by a one-point margin at this round of the tournament.
“It hurt really badly. The kids have worked so hard, and they really thought they were going to get it,” Radley said. “Had that delay not happened, I really think they would have just continued on for the win.”
Coach Maggie Radley (center) speaks with Milton girls’ tennis before its state quarterfinal match.Jack Nelson
Sanchez and Do were thrown a cruel curveball with their team’s season hanging in the balance. Having just submitted a 6-3 second frame, and with the contest knotted at two points apiece, their surroundings changed from outdoors to indoors.
Different lighting. Different noise. Different feel.
Their foes were a constant in the revised equation. Anaya Mohani and Maia Oh – winners of the opening stanza, 6-2 – still opposed the Wildcat duo.
And the two Lancers were ready to rebound. Roaring out of the extended break, they cruised to a 6-0 set, ensuring Longmeadow’s 44-match winning streak hit 45.
Milton suffered a bottom-four sweep when all was said and done, also dropping its match at first doubles in straight sets. Catalina Abboud accounted for the day’s other defeat by a 6-4, 6-2 score at second singles.
Rarely does she fall. The senior wrapped her final season as a Wildcat with a 14-3 mark, largely earned at the No. 2 spot. She’s the only graduating starter, but leaves a considerable void in her wake.
“Losing her, it’s more than just a second singles player,” Radley said. “It’s her leadership, her kindness – everything she brought to the team. She was right there with me, guiding me, even as a coach.”
Catalina Abboud prepares to serve at second singles.Jack Nelson
Younger sister Camila Abboud stayed in a league of her own.
Friday signaled completion of a perfect individual season for her. She went 17-0 this spring, capped with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Kelci Talati.
The sophomore talent surrendered just one set in 2025, and that came in the only match she played at second singles. Camila Abboud won 32 of 32 sets at court three.
“She’s a complete package of a kid. She gets stressed a little bit, but you’d never see it,” Radley said. “She went undefeated… that’s unbelievable.”
Headlining Milton’s prospective returners for next season is rising senior Melody Tran, who was responsible for the team’s other point against the Lancers in 6-4, 6-2 fashion against Sarah Tiru.
Tran ended her junior campaign on an eight-match winning streak after a 5-5 start. She’s been Radley’s No. 1 option ever since she entered the program.
Melody Tran goes into her backswing before a forehand return at first singles.Jack Nelson
The Wildcats’ latest quarterfinal appearance was another addition to a laundry list of close contests. Across their 19 total matches played, 10 wound up as 3-2 decisions. They ultimately went 3-7 in such situations.
“We definitely altered the schedule going into this season, putting more pressure on ourselves,” Radley said. “I would rather see them grow, losing 3-2, than beating up the smaller teams, 5-0, and gaining nothing from it.”
This latest nail-biter, though, came at a greater cost than any of the others. It closed the book for good.
Perhaps Sanchez and Do would have won without the interruption, translating the rights instead of turning to wrongs.
Perhaps the Wildcats would be gearing up for next week’s state semifinals instead of setting aside their rackets.
Those are just what-ifs.
