Pilgrim girls tennis ends 40-year title drought. Here's how it happened.

PAWTUCKET – Catherine Deluca and Kharmalina Mitchell couldn’t find the last points.Everyone’s eyes were on the Pilgrim duo at Slater Park. Shakiness throughout the day only intensified – the Patriots were trying to undo the last four decades in just a few minutes. The senior tandem found their answer on Mitchell’s final volley against Classical.The pairing lifted No. 1 Pilgrim (13-1) to a 4-2 victory over No. 2 Classical (12-2) in the Division III championship on a perfect Oct. 31 evening in Pawtucket. It’s the first girls tennis title for the Warwick school since 1986 and just its second overall.“It was so stressful,” Mitchell said of the three-set victory. “It was game point, game point, game point, and we just kept missing. And then that final feeling of relief after we got it. It was the best feeling in the world, especially getting the title for our school when we haven't gotten it in so long. It's good to be the winners.”“After it was three sets, too, which was actually insane,” Deluca said. “We were both so tired. We were so happy to finally win, and especially win it all for everyone, too.”The remainder of the Patriots piled onto the first doubles court from the right side. The third doubles pairing of Julia Louth and Jaelyn Hunter dropped their rackets and ran from the opposite direction. They were the only match left undecided as Deluca and Mitchell sealed the victory in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win.“The nerves never went away – they were always there,” Mitchell said. “But you have to breathe, you have to clear your head as much as possible. If you play nervous, then it kind of goes downhill from there. If you play with a clear mind, you're golden.”Pilgrim’s surge started with Sophie Henner’s 6-4, 7-6(3) victory at fourth singles. The senior pushed the Patriots ahead after Classical won at second doubles and first singles. Her key tiebreaking victory gave Deluca and Mitchell the chance to break the title drought.Watch RI high school sports on NFHS!“I played her before, and it was definitely a very competitive match,” Henner said. “So going into it, I was slightly concerned, but I just knew that I had to just keep sticking it out. Definitely a lot of long rallies, a lot of like very competitive playing, but in the end, it all worked out.”Kaylie Martell and Scarlette Gagne both won for Pilgrim at two and three singles as the Patriots nearly swept the individual matches. The day followed a season of dominance for the Patriots. They finished with seven sweeps on the year, including a 4-0 defeat of neighboring Toll Gate in the semifinals. Their lone loss was a 4-3 defeat to Coventry on Oct. 1. “After the whole season, everything leading up to this, it was just nerve-wracking,” Henner said. “But it was relieving, and we also expected it. We were confident, and everyone was just happy that we were able to pull it off.”A dozen seniors powered the 13-win season, the most the school compiled since finishing runner-up in Class C in 1998. Any nerves that built throughout the day didn’t show in the closing minutes of the season.“We kept going, but we knew that Classical was going to be a hard school to beat,” Mitchell said. “Coming in today, we were a little nervous, but I had faith in everybody on the team, and we came out.”Pilgrim 4, Classical 2Singles: Jude Brody, C, def. Natalie Schmidt, P, 6-2, 7-5; Kaylie Martell, P, def. Elena Correia, C, 6-4, 6-2; Scarlette Gagne, P, def. Hamidah Odetunde, C, 6-3, 6-1; Sophie Henner, P, def. Ren Hashimoto Segu, C, 6-4, 7-6(3).Doubles: Catherine Deluca/Kharmalina Mitchell, P, def. Claire Derisier/Sarah Shorts, C, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4; Mia Zheng/Candy Vongkaysone, C, def. Karina Koopman/Lia Wasilewski, P, 6-1, 6-4.This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Pilgrim girls tennis ends 40-year title drought. Here's how it happened.Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.