One Rhode Island tennis team that has been flying under the radar to this point this fall has been Toll Gate, who recently earned a Division III playoff spot and held a 9-7 record as of Wednesday morning.
The Titans have been looking to build a long-term foundation and have had four coaching staffs in four years. The team welcomed a crop of returning standouts, as well as former players Elizabeth Vecchio and Mackenzie Blackmer this fall as coaches, and the results have been strong as they wind down the regular season.
After a slow start, Toll Gate found its rhythm and won five of six matches to enter the playoff race. The team has been led by seniors Emma Hindle and Caroline Polo as well as doubles pair Aubree Flanagan and Kassidy Roche, who all qualified for their respective state tournaments last weekend at Slater Park.
“We were expecting to be in the playoffs, but we started off the season tough with two losses out the gate. That was a bummer, but we got on this win streak which was great. That carried us to the playoffs. The girls were just getting so much more confident in themselves,” said Vecchio.
The coaches did some shuffling in the early going, most notably shifting Polo from first doubles to third singles. The move paid off big, as Polo now leads the team in wins and is among the top performers in the division.
“She wasn’t sure but we told her, the ladder doesn’t lie, and she shows up every match and fights until the last point and it shows on her record,” said Vecchio
“As new coaches, we had to find our footing within the team and find the dynamic we had. We just had to figure out what worked for them and encourage them. A lot of them were unsure about themselves, it’s a big mental game, so giving them the skills and resources to build confidence and to help them know they belong there was important,” added Blackmer.
As excited as the coaches are with the wins, they have been even more encouraged by the atmosphere on and off the court as the program has been having fun every step of the way.
“It’s amazing to just see that passion and that joy. That was the goal we had going into the season. It’s nice to win, but we’re just here to have a good time and they picked up on that quickly. It’s exciting to go into the playoffs with that mentality,” said Vecchio.
As for the playoffs, Blackmer hopes the girls continue to do more of the same.
“Continue to do what they’re doing. Putting their best foot forward the way they have been. It’s a right to be there and they deserve it,” Blackmer said.
The team was back in action on Wednesday afternoon against Pilgrim, but the results were not available at press time.