Notre Dame (Hingham) completes its climb to the top of Division 2 girls’ tennis

CAMBRIDGE — With her players bouncing gleefully to her left, the Division 2 championship trophy high above their heads, Notre Dame (Hingham) girls’ tennis coach Joanne Healey teared up as she reflected on what it took to reach the mountaintop.

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“The girls have worked so incredibly hard all season,” Healey said. “We’ve come so close so many times. They really deserved it.”

NDA defeated Bedford, 4-1, to capture the second state title in program history Saturday at MIT. The top-seeded Cougars (19-1) won most matches convincingly against the No. 2 Buccaneers (16-4).

After falling in a state final heartbreaker to Longmeadow when these seniors were sophomores, Clara Healey, Caroline Kessler, Vivienne La Grassa, and Karen Li got to go out as champions.

“Getting so close every year makes it that much more exciting to get the job done this year,” Clara Healey said.

Sophomore sensation Sophia Lirio, an Abington resident who has established herself as one of the state’s premier players, cruised, 6-0, 6-1, at first singles.

Lirio relied on her strong strokes and sharp mental game to wear down the opposition. Joanne Healey called her the strength of the team and credited her for keeping “calm and cool” under pressure.

“It’s been one of the great joys of my tennis career to get to watch her,” Kessler said.

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Skye Bunge won, 6-3, 6-2, at third singles. Healey and La Grassa pulled out a 7-5, 6-1 win at first doubles, and Kessler and Christi Schwartz provided the exclamation point (6-2, 6-4) at second doubles.

Kessler and Healey said the camaraderie of the group and their desire to reach the next level helped vault the Cougars to the top. Healey was hopeful that this would be the year, but she knows everything is earned in high school tennis.

“There was nothing more they could do,” Joanne Healey said. “They did the work. It was time to play.”

Sophomore Sylvie Denny-Brown left no doubt with a 6-1, 6-0 victory at second doubles for Bedford.

The Buccaneers, who won a combined three matches in 2023 and 2024, advanced to their first state final since 2012.

“There’s not a sad face on the court,” said Bedford coach Morgan Anderson. “Everybody is just excited and happy that they got to be here. Hopefully, very soon, we’ll be back and getting that trophy.”

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