Will the first big girls tennis match of the season be a preview of the last? SK hopes so

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Will the first big matchup of the 2025 girls tennis season be the same we see at Slater Park in November?

There’s a lot of tennis to be played between now and then, but South Kingstown certainly wouldn’t mind if that’s how things turned out.

Two years removed from winning the Division II title, the Rebels are among the favorites to win the state crown this fall. East Greenwich is another team in the mix, but any hopes of seeing what these teams looked like on Day 1 were dashed when Avenger All-Stater Ellie Coker-Dodman was absent due to illness. SK took advantage and pulled out the 5-2 win, getting the season off to the start it was looking for.

“We were nervous but more excited than nervus because we’ve all been working,” senior Tessa O’Sullivan said. “Pretty much all of our players have been playing all summer … and just putting a lot of work in. We wanted to see, especially against a team like East Greenwich.”

The teams will look a lot different late in the season vs. what they looked like on September 2, but here’s what stood out on an otherwise perfect afternoon of tennis.

Alexa Clark is still ‘Her’

Clark, the two-time defending state singles champ whose lost one match her entire career, was ready to get her season started against one of the state’s best. When she didn’t see Coker-Dodman come off the bus, there was little change in her mindset.

That was good news for her title hopes, but bad news for EG’s Sophia Speranza, who moved up in Coker-Dodman’s absence to play Clark at No. 1 singles.

“When she wasn’t there, I was kind of disappointed because she’s my friend and I was excited to see her, but nothing changed,” Clark said. “I had to play my game.”

More: Take a Look: Here’s who made the Providence Journal Quarter-Century All-State Girls Tennis Team

Clark’s career started as a smash first, ask questions last freshman. Her game has evolved over the years, both mentally and physically, and she’s as prepared as she’s ever been for a high school tennis season.

“I get nervous too and I get timid and scared sometimes,” Clark said. “But I take a breath and say ‘play your game, you’ve got this, work hard’ and fight for every point.’”

Clark is the heavy favorite to win a third straight title, something that’s only been done twice before by a public school player in the history of the RIIL. It puts a massive target on her back, but its something Clark dealt with all of last year and surely isn’t shying away from in her final season.

“There’s a lot of pressure on me. I try to keep myself in the right headspace,” Clark said. “I know my worth, I know how hard I’ve worked for this, so I’m just going to keep working and try not to take anything for granted and try to have fun.”

And that also means being a leader and, when her matches are over, cheerleader for her teammates as they try to see if they can do something no SK girls team has ever done – win a state title.

“We have so many opportunities to do well. I feel everyone is in a good headspace and mindset and we all are very close-knit and we’ve done more team bonding,” Clark said. “I feel really good about it and I feel we can compete against whoever and know we’re there for each other and have fun with it.”

Fresh faces helping the Rebels

Depth rules the tennis courts and the addition of three freshmen was big in Tuesday’s match.

It started at No. 2 doubles, where freshman Chloe Quirk and sophomore partner Jocelyn Slocum grabbed the second point with a smooth 6-0, 6-1 win. With the overall match tied at two, freshman Sophia Kuosmanen put the finishing touches on her 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 3, putting the Rebels one win away from taking down the win.

They didn’t have to wait long. O’Sullivan, paired with Molly Clark, the younger sister of Alexa, looked like they were headed to a third set at No. 1 but were able to close out their match, 6-2, 7-6 (6) to give SK the start to the season it was looking for.

“We expected for this year that we would be a lot better than last year,” O’Sullivan said. “We have some really talented freshmen playing and people that train and play and it’s a good team.”

Each has a decidedly different style. Kuosmanen is a smart player and a human backboard, taking her shots when they presented themselves but willing to outlast her opponent on every point.

Quirk – as well as her partner Slocum – is more athlete than tennis player, able to chase down shots on every corner of the court. The duo both played with the perfect amount of aggression and will be a tough opponent this fall.

The only person on SK’s roster who hit the ball harder than Clark is her older sister. The younger Clark plays with the type of competitive fire her older sister didn’t show her first year. She’s a monster on the baseline and it should be fun to watch her game grow this season.

“Molly hits the ball very hard so it’s a lot of fun,” O’Sullivan said. “Even when she’s serving, she’s a really good baseline player and I love playing the net.”

“She’s obviously practiced hitting hard because I’m her sister and I try to slam every ball at her and she gets them back,” Alexa Clark said. “I’m happy for her and I want her to do just as well as me.”

EG will learn from the loss

Despite playing without Coker-Dodman, East Greenwich still managed to put up a fight. It left the mind wondering how things would have played out if the All-Stater was able to play, but the experience of playing up is only going to help the Avengers as the season rolls on.

“We had really good teammate, which is what makes us have a positive attitude even when we lose,” said Savannah Hepel, the team’s No. 3 who moved up to No. 2 and grabbed a 6-2, 6-2, win. “We’re very reflective in how we play so we look a lot at what we can improve on going forward.”

Once Coker-Dodman is back to full health, East Greenwich is going to be a strong team. If coach Marc Brocato was hoping Hepel was going to be a secret weapon at No. 3, that surprise is gone after her win. Speranza’s next opponent will be hitting in slow motion compared to what she saw on Tuesday. The doubles lineup will look different and everything about the team will change – except for what it hopes to achieve this season.

“We’re definitely gunning for states and getting to finals and hopefully win,” Hepel said. “We have a really good team and I’m excited to see what we can do.”

East Greenwich returns to action Thursday at Moses Brown and plays at Cranston West and at La Salle next week.

What’s next for South Kingstown

The Rebels will try to keep things rolling on Thursday when they travel to Chariho’s temporary new home in Stonington, Conn. They’ll open next week with a home match at Cranston West on Monday before another big test next Wednesday when they host La Salle, the 11-time defending state champions.

The Rams graduated most of their roster from last year’s group, but still have depth from the top of their ladder to the bottom most programs can’t match. La Salle won’t look like the La Salle of old, but should still be strong enough to be considered a favorite to win another title.

Wednesday will be a chance for SK to see if it really is a contender or if it still has a lot of work to do.

“[It] will be a good test to see how we stand on the higher level,” O’Sullivan said. “We’re just overall excited for it.”

South Kingstown 5, East Greenwich 2

SINGLES: 1, Alexa Clark, SK, def. Sophia Speranza, EG, 6-0, 6-0; 2, Savannah Hepel, EG, def. Tess Ruhren, SK, 6-2, 6-2; 3, Sophie Kuosmanen, SK, def. Jennifer Chen, EG, 6-3, 6-2; 4, Navya Patel, def. Marin Roman, SK, inj. def.

DOUBLES: 1, Molly Clark/Tessa O’Sullivan, SK, def. Elle Marke/Nadia Yang, SK, 6-2, 7-6 (6); 2, Jocelyn Slocum/Chloe Quirk, SK, def. Mia DesMarais/Miranda Thakuria, EG, 6-0, 6-1; 3, Isabella Quirk/Aster Russell, SK, def. Malia Cervenka/Olivia Saccoccia, EG, 6-3, 7-5.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Score from South Kingstown vs. East Greenwich girls tennis on Tuesday September 2