CALVERT HALL ENDS GILMAN’S EIGHT-YEAR REIGN IN MIAA A CONFERENCE TENNIS

CARDINALS USE HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE TO FINALLY BREAK THROUGH AGAINST THE GREYHOUNDS

For the last eight years, Gilman tennis has been the last team standing in May.

On Thursday in Towson, Calvert Hall stood even taller than the Greyhounds, ending their stranglehold on the A Conference with a 3-1 victory.

Winning their first title since 2001, the Cardinals also avenged successive setbacks in the finals to Gilman in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Luke Dragonette, half of Calvert Hall’s No. 1 doubles duo with fellow senior Charlie Keehan, said that by claiming 3-2 team victory over Gilman in Roland Park during the regular season was the confidence-builder the Cardinals needed for a run to the top.

“I knew all along that we had a pretty good chance this season, because we have some really good guys and some really good seniors,” he said. “But going to their place and taking it from them in a hostile environment really showed that ‘Hey, we beat them once, we can beat them again.’”

Dragonette and Keehan did their part, beating Nick Sun and Anton Grib, 6-1, 6-3, while Calvert Hall’s No. 2 doubles, seniors Shawn Conyers and Daryl Escobal, won 7-5 def. over Luca Pavlovich and Sanjay Geevarghese.

The Cardinals’ other wins went to No. 1 singles standout Asher Willenborg, 6-4, 6-1, over Andrew Hannan and junior Luke Gibbs rallying past junior Lleyton Cathell, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, in No. 3 singles.

Gibbs said that he had to “dig deep” to prevail in the match.

“I stopped going for corners and tried to get my first serve in,” he said, noting that he hoped his opponent would commit unforced errors.

Gilman’s lone victory came from sophomore George Khairallah in the No. 2 singles over Aaron Holdsworth, 6-2, 6-0, preventing the Calvert Hall junior from finishing the season undefeated. The No. 3 doubles match was ruled as incomplete, leaving the final score at 3-1.

Gilman coach Steve Krulevitz said that the Greyhounds’ eight-year reign was “fun while it lasted.”

He added that Calvert Hall deserved to win.

“They played better,” he said. “But I’m proud of our guys and how hard they played today.”

One of the keys for the Cardinals was having an accomplished player like Willenborg to play for the school for the first time as a senior.

“He’s a great kid and a great tennis player, too,” Dragonette said. “He really strengthened us as a team and helped Charlie and I to stay together as a (doubles) team from last year and allowed us to play singles at a more competitive place. And he’s just a nice guy to have around.”

Calvert Hall coach Dave Mast said that winning a title at his alma mater is special.

“A long time coming — 22 years — and I don’t know how long it’s been since we hosted it (the championship) at Calvert Hall,” he said. “Somebody said that it’s been since the 80′s. But I knew what a great coach Steve Krulevitz is — winning it eight years in a row. I knew he would have his guys ready and that it would be a tight match. Regardless of who you had, I knew it was going to take a lot of work. It’s what I came here to do.”

Willenborg’s impact on the team was “huge,” Mast said.

“It dropped everybody down (on the team ladder),” he said. “And not just that, they got to watch a guy of his caliber play great tennis. He really brought a nice team atmosphere.”

This article republished with permission of the Baltimore Banner.