One win away from a perfect championship.

That’s the Greenwich High School’s varsity girls tennis team’s situation heading into the championship match of the CIAC Class LL Tournament against rival Staples on June 4th.

The undefeated Cardinals (21-0) can put the finishing touch on a perfect season and claim its second straight state title with a win over the Wreckers in the title matchup. The CIAC Class LL final between the second-seeded Cardinals and fifth-seeded Wreckers is scheduled to take place at Joel Barlow High School in Redding at 4:30 p.m.

Host Greenwich earned a return trip to the state final by defeating third-seeded FCIAC rival Fairfield Ludlowe, 4-1, in the Class LL semifinals on June 3rd in a rematch of last week’s FCIAC title match, won by the Cardinals, 4-0.

“It feels incredible, I’m so excited, especially senior year,” Greenwich senior captain Emme Pecorin said. “I cannot wait for the finals. It’s been exciting to see everyone put in the hard work to get to this point.”

Showcasing its depth, Greenwich was victorious at second and fourth singles and first and third doubles in the Class LL semifinals versus Ludlowe in a match played in summer-like weather – a change from the chilly conditions most of the matches were competed in this spring.

The No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles matches were not completed since Greenwich already clinched the match and a berth into the state final by winning their fourth match of semifinal-round showdown against the visiting Falcons.

Junior Caitlin Mahoney continued her undefeated season at second singles for GHS, winning her match against Elle Seaver, 6-3, 6-3.

“Today was a very good victory,” Mahoney said. “It was very tight. We played them on Thursday and today it was a lot closer. I was really proud of everyone, everyone pulled through like they always do. Everyone played really well.”

Avery Li clinched the match for Greenwich with a tough 6-4, 7-6 victory over Julia Leykikh at No. 4 singles. A lot of eyes were on Li’s match, which lasted quite long.

“It felt very good, because everyone was counting on me to win and I really wanted to so we can move on to the finals,” Li said. “I was getting a little nervous, because I was looking around and I saw that most of the matches were finished, so my match was so close and so close to being done and I did feel that I needed to win.”

Both competitors had their moments in this No. 4 singles match, which featured excellent action throughout.

“I have a lot of respect for my opponent, she played really well,” Li noted. “She was really consistent the whole time, so it lasted very long between us. Ultimately, I was able to win because it ended up dragging on so long and it was who can last longer in the heat and the sun.”

Senior captain Yume Inagawa and sophomore Cameron Sowter kept their winning streak going at No. 1 doubles for the Cards. The duo topped Ludlowe’s Paige Seaver/Ellery Walker.

“I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders, I feel so relieved,” Inagawa said of reaching the state championship match. “I’m excited for the finals. It’s been a great season so far. “

Said Sowter: “I was super excited going into this match, I love playing Ludlowe and the harder teams in the season. We beat them before and we had to beat them today and I think we brought our best and did just that.”

The Cardinals’ No. 1 duo have a habit of recording clutch wins for their squad, while winning crucial points.

“It was a good match, as much as it might look like we’re under stress on the court, it’s really fun,” Inagawa noted. “It was one of the better matches we played. We did pretty well against them. As long as we keep our energy up, I think we can win in the finals.”

In the No. 3 doubles match, juniors Bella Barban and Olivia Popp were victorious for the Cardinals against Lizzie Meyers/Blakely La Grecca, 6-4, 6-2.

“It feels amazing,” Popp said. “Last year, we got to the finals and we won states, so I think the whole team is very excited. We’re going to come with high energy in the finals.”

“We made it to states last year and I hope we can continue our streak of winning again,” Barban added. “Today was really stressful. It was a tight match between everyone and I’m really glad that we were able to pull it out. I hope we can do it again in the finals.”

Pecorin and partner Maddy Wilber, a junior, came extremely close to winning the clinching match for GHS. They won the opening set against Ludlowe’s Caitlin Smith/Allegra Early, 6-4 and were edged in the second set, 7-6. Pecorin and Wilber were ahead in the third and deciding set, 5-1, 40-love when Li won her match at fourth doubles, clinching it for the Cards.

“It was definitely one of the hardest matches we played all season,” Pecorin said of her doubles match against Ludlowe. “They put up a good fight. They are good players, so it was a really good match.”

Senior captain Izzy Everett posted a 7-5 win in her first set at third singles versus Ludlowe’s Lucy Day and the second set was in progress when GHS clinched the semifinal matchup. The Falcons’ singles win came from junior standout Mairead Kelly, who defeated Cardinals junior Shining Sun, 6-2, 6-3.

“As we showed today, our team is really deep and we have strong players throughout the lineup,” Sun said. “Even though I lost, they were able to pull through and win for us. It shows the depth of the team and I think that depth is what will carry us.”

Sun was pleased with how she competed against Kelly, Ludlowe’s top player.

“It was a lot tighter than before, the score doesn’t show that,” Sun said. “Three of the games that I lost did go to deuce and we did stay on deuce for a while, so I think it was a pretty close match.”

Greenwich topped it opponent in the Class LL Tournament final, Staples, 6-1, during the regular season.

“The seniors are graduating this year and I’ve played with them since I was a freshman coming on to the team, so I really wanted to send them off with a final hoorah,” Sun said of the team’s upcoming state final versus Staples.

The Class LL final is a rematch of the 2024 championship match between Greenwich and Staples, won by the Cardinals, 4-0.

“I’m really excited to go into the championship match,” Mahoney said. “I’m also sad, because this is the last match of the season and I’ve enjoyed being around this team and these girls so much.”

Greenwich coach Jerry Sulli is highly impressed with how his squad continues to pass every tough test they face.

“It’s hard to defeat the same team that’s really good three times in a row,” Sulli said of GHS beating Ludlowe three times this season. “The odds were not in our favor, but the girls pulled through. We have to take our hats off to Ludlowe, they played really well. They weren’t going down easy. I’m just excited that we’re in the finals.”