Barrington girls tennis books its second straight state championship appearance

BARRINGTON — Addison Friedman asked for the lights to be flipped on at her home court. But she would soon shut them off.

It was getting dark at Barrington’s home venue as Friedman battled Moses Brown in the No. 1 singles match of a Division I girls tennis semifinal. Friedman took the first and third sets against the Quakers to capture a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory on Monday afternoon.

The 4-1 match win sends No. 3 Barrington (13-3) to Slater Park for its fourth state championship appearance since 2017.

“It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt,” Friedman said. “Especially being the last match to win. I was very mad during the second set, but I definitely calmed down and came back and was ready to play. I was also cold, and ready to get into my sweatshirt and sweatpants.”

“She’s so important to us,” Carla Chen said of Friedman. “We all love her and she’s the heart of this team. She’s a great player and teammate.”

Barrington entered last year’s title bout against La Salle as the state’s favorite after ending La Salle’s 138-match win streak. But the Rams won the 2024 title in a 4-2 decision over Barrington to extend their reign to 11 straight championships.

The Eagles will have to wait until Tuesday to see if they meet No. 1 La Salle (16-0) again. The Rams host No. 5 East Greenwich, but it’s safe to think that La Salle will reach another title match.

“I have a lot of faith in the team,” Barrington’s Charlotte Byon said about facing La Salle. “It’s always a tough match with La Salle, but I’m really hoping to take down their championship streak. I have a good feeling about it, but we just need that confidence.”

Barrington lost to La Salle 5-2 in the season opener and 6-1 just a couple weeks ago. But the Eagles are ready to throw all of that aside. They’re going into the championship with a different mindset – they know they’re the underdogs and are playing without any pressure.

“I think a lot of people don’t expect a lot of us,” Byon said. “It’s always expected that La Salle is going to win, but I think we have come close to beating them. I do think we have a chance of surprising everybody.

“La Salle just psyches everybody out. They bring a ton of people to the championships and have just a ton of support. We need that support and we need that confidence.”

Charlotte Hunter was first off the court for Barrington as the freshman snagged a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 4 singles. Then Byon, a senior, put Barrington in prime position with a win at No. 2 singles in a 6-2, 6-1 finish.

Byon knows this La Salle team well and what it’ll take Barrington to pull off the historic upset.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to us individually,” Byon said. “But I think the main thing I tell everybody is that we’re always well-mannered and we play our best game and that’s what matters.”

Barrington’s No. 2 doubles eased to a 6-1, 6-4 win, but Moses Brown denied the Eagles a sweep with a 0-6, 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles. Friedman, as the afternoon temperatures dropped, then sent Barrington back to the title game.

“Last year, our mindset was that we could do it because we had already beat [La Salle],” Friedman said. “Our mindset needs to shift this year to that we can beat them. We know we can, so why don’t we try.”

Barrington 4, Moses Brown 1

Singles: Addison Friedman, B, def. Ella Bergeron, MB, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; Charlotte Byon, B, def. Sofia Mikulasek, MB, 6-2, 6-1; Charlotte Hunter, B, def. Ava Pereira, MB, 6-2, 6-1.

Doubles: Virginia McColough/Sierra Slack, MB, def. Anastasia Mycue/Mira Scheiner, B, 0-6, 6-1, 6-3; Kyra Byon/Clara Bucher, B, def. Olivia Wehbe/Caroline O’Neill, MB, 6-1, 6-4.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Here’s how Barrington girls tennis reached another state title match