It was almost too easy last year for Norwich juniors Bryn Loomis and Sophie Stewart.
The Norwich doubles team did not come close to losing a set in winning their first Section IV doubles title, and didn’t drop a set until the finals of the Section IV state qualifier where they ended up in second place.
As heavy favorites entering this year’s tournament, Loomis and Stewart breezed into the finals with a pair of relatively easy wins, and coasted in the opening set of the B finals against Chenango Valley’s Lauren Eggleston and Olivia Hewison.
“They (Bryn and Sophie) didn’t play their best tennis in the second and third sets of the final,” said Norwich head coach John Stewart. “The other girls were playing very good tennis, and we kind of got unwound. Bryn and Sophie stayed together, and found a way to win. Winners always find a way to win.”
The comfortable first-set win for the NHS team was followed up by a dominant 6-2 win for CV in the penultimate set. It got worse for Norwich in the third set as CV built a 4-2 lead, and led 5-4 with a match point in hand.
Loomis and Stewart staved off that match point, and went on to repeat as Class B titlists. Next up is a second trip to the Section IV state qualifier, as well as our weekly honor as Smith Ford LLC, Giant’s Warehouse/Evening Sun Athletes of the Week.
“I think the biggest difference this year is the focus and maturity,” Stewart said. “It’s been fun to watch them this year. Last year, at times, they could be a little immature on the court. This is all part of the maturation process. They’re growing up, plain and simple.”
Defeat has rarely been an option for the Norwich duo, who are first cousins. They have not lost a match in Class B play the past two years, and they have prepared for the postseason as the top singles players in the Norwich program the past three years. Loomis lost just two matches this year, and each came to the Class B singles finalists. She just blew everyone else away rarely giving up more than two games in a set. Stewart was nearly as successful at number two singles finishing with a strong winning record. Her victories were also impressive as she closed out opponents swiftly.
With two strong singles players in the doubles fold, one would automatically assume that they would make an imposing doubles team. On paper, yes, but Stewart said that is not always the case. He said he has seen two excellent singles players come together and play terrible doubles. Thankfully, Loomis and Stewart have never had that problem.
The Stewart family regularly gets together during the tennis-playing months, and they fill the local courts playing doubles. Playing doubles for Loomis and Stewart is as easy a fit as putting their shoes on in the morning. And the family connection helps even more, Coach Stewart said.
“There is a bond between them that goes even deeper than just being doubles partners,” the coach said. “That showed up in the third set of the doubles finals. The worked together to get through it. I’ve seen teams fold under that type of pressure. Not this group.”
The next step for Loomis and Stewart is the Section IV state qualifier. As the returning runner-up team, they enter as one of the pre-tournament favorites. Now that they have already faced severe adversity on the court, it could help them if faced with a similar situation next week as they attempt to meet their preseason goals.
“The first goal was to win Class B, and they did a great job of doing that,” Stewart said. “There was a lot of pressure in the finals, and they felt the pressure of repeating. Now that we’ve done that, we want to win the state qualifier. Anything less than that would be a disappointment. We also want to win at least one round of the main draw of the state tournament. That would make us one of the best 16 teams in the state. That is a reasonable goal to expect and to work toward.”