Cech Helps Girls’ Tennis Team Reach Class L Quarterfinal

(Editor’s note: This article is running in its entirety this week after a portion of the article was inadvertently omitted in the June 5 issue).

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s No. 3 singles player, Ashley Cech, won the decisive match in the Nighthawks’ Class L State Tournament’s first round clash with South Windsor on the evening of June 1, capping what was a long day of tennis for the Hawks ... and a tough couple of days for Cech.

The NHS junior had spent much of the previous night into the morning hours in Danbury Hospital with her father who suddenly felt ill and was taken to the hospital on Sunday. Cech’s dad returned home Monday night and was feeling better, Newtown Coach Maureen Maher said. It was unknown what led to the sudden illness, the coach said, but Cech’s performance certainly couldn’t have hurt in her father’s quick recovery process.

Maher said her No. 3 player’s dad asked her to go out and win her match. So, after a night of minimal sleep and a long bus ride to South Windsor ... followed by a preliminary round match 7-0 victory over Crosby that same afternoon, the 14th-seeded Nighthawks upset No. 3 South Windsor 4-3. The match was even at three wins apiece and Cech’s match was the last one to unfold.

The junior kept focused, despite the distraction, to win a three-setter against South Windsor’s Andie Earwaker 6-7, 7-5, 6-3.

“She basically won it for her dad and us,” Maher said.

Newtown had blanked Crosby in an opening round match that started at 1 pm that afternoon. Cech’s clinching point wasn’t until sometime around 7:30 pm, putting a happy end to a grueling, nerve-wracking afternoon.

“It was a long day,” said Maher, whose team left school at 10:30 am to ride the bus approximately 60 miles to play the two matches.

Newtown’s top two doubles tandems and fourth singles players also came out on top to help the team past South Windsor. No. 4 singles player Nicole Vournazos, along with the No. 1 doubles duo of Kristen Tanner and Meghan Loose and the No. 2 tandem of Kristen Tassinari and Ale Fuentes all won in two sets.

Against Crosby, in addition to those winners, No. 2 singles player Caitlin O’Mahoney and the No. 3 doubles team of Sara Benson and Ayesha Dholakia also came out on top as the Nighthawks swept their way into the next round. The Nighthawks’ tennis marathon of sorts continued — and ended — the next day as the Hawks trekked to Glastonbury to visit the tournament’s sixth seed in the quarterfinals. NHS was defeated 6-1.