EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence High School girls' tennis team readies for its 2023 Division III season debut early next week coming off its best fall in six and aiming to win one more match than it did a year ago.

The Townies' 2022 campaign came to a close with an agonizingly close 4-3 loss to city neighbor Bay View in the league championship at Pawtucket's Slater Park.

Both of East Providence's two setbacks last fall, in fact, came at the racquets of the Bengals, who finished with a perfect 17-0 record. The Townies also fell 4-3 to Bay View in their 2022 regular season encounter. The 15-2 record and berth in the league final match was East Providence's best showing since the 2016 Townie contingent won the D-III title.

This fall, EPHS returns six key contributors to the fold led by Hope Moran. The sophomore, coming a stellar first season playing from the third position with a 13-4 record, earned the top spot in the Townie order with a three-set win over senior Lena Shanty (6-4, 5-7, 6-4) in their final preseason ladder match.

"Hope showed it last year. She's a fierce competitor, a natural athlete. She plays with a lot of tenacity, a lot of strength," said EPHS head coach Slade Sharma, entering his second season at the helm of the program. Seniors Jaydon Massa, a member of the EPHS boys' team in the spring, and Will Laroche, also a former boys' team player, serve as girls' team managers.

"I call her a gunslinger," Sharma continued. "Hope operates well out of chaos. She can really throw her opponent off, be a wild card on the court. But we're also trying to get her to play with a little more structure. We'd like to see her have the best of both worlds. But I think there's nothing she can't do as a one. She has a high ceiling."

Shanty will start the season playing from the two slot, a position she will as of now held for a third year in a row.

"Lena is solid. She has been one of the best players on team for years. I think she's very talented," said Sharma. "She was on family vacation this summer, so she got a late start to the whole thing, but I think she'll come around. She's steady. She's going to contribute important points to the team like she always has the last few years."

The Townies' lineup in general, and singles in particular, is bolstered this fall by newcomer Megha Tenneti, a senior transfer from Barrington by way of Reno, Nevada. Tenneti was part of the Barrington High team in the preseason a year ago, but did not play a varsity match. She's earned the No. 3 spot on the EPHS ladder.

"Megha brings a lot of experience. She's smart, steadfast," said Sharma. "I really believe she's committed to showing up and winning. I think being out of action last year motivated her to make most of her last season at the high school level."

Caroline Haggerty, who played doubles a year ago, is back for her final high school season. The senior rounds out the singles order at No. 4. Haggerty and her partner Paris Martin, a spring 2023 grad, went a perfect 17-0 last year at second pairs.

"Caroline has really gotten a lot better. Her serve a ton better," said Sharma. "She was such a great doubles player for us last year. She was the backbone of the team. She kind of maxed out what she could do there. I knew I could trust her there, but she played herself into the No. 4 singles position. She has a really great tennis IQ. She earned it."

Because of those attributes, Sharma has tapped Haggerty to be the 2023 EPHS captain, saying, "Caroline is an incredible leader. She really is the heart and soul of this team."

Three more returning veteran contributors will help give the Townies important depth in doubles. Seniors Isabella Hurley and Tiana Brierly are back in the fold along with junior Maggie Robinson. The other doubles players include freshman newbie Madison Luu, sophomore Rylie Thurber and junior Ava Domingues.

Brierly also posted an unblemished 16-0 record playing mostly third doubles last fall, including a 10-0 mark with then partner and another spring 2023 grad Emma Gillheeney.

(Editor's Note: The Townies' doubles order changed slightly after the first draft of the 2023 preview was written and published in the September 7 print edition of The Post. The updated lineup will be noted in the September 14 edition of the paper.)

For most of the ladder matches, Brierly and Robinson were on track to begin the season as the top doubles pairing, but the new duo of Hurley and Luu eventually gained the edge with a 6-4, 6-0 win in the final contest between the sides to determine their position in the playing order Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 6.

"There's not much separating them," Sharma said of his three doubles teams.

He continued about the now first tandem, "Isabella, she was dynamite last year. She went 14-3 (with another spring 2023 grad Katelyn Furtado) at first doubles last year. She's steady as it comes. Madison is a tremendous athlete, but hasn't played much competitively. Isabella spent three years with me. I have a lot trust in her. That's why we like this pairing. I think she will be able to aid Madison along."

Of the Brierly-Robinson second duo, Sharma said, "The good news about them is they played together some at third doubles last year, so they have experience playing together," Sharma said of his presumed No. 1 duo. "And they've both taken meaningful steps forward this year. They're both demonstrably better."

The third pair will see Thurber, whose older brother Nathan will be a senior on the EPHS boys' team next spring, teaming with Domingues.

Of that tandem, Sharma said, "Those two kids, we were already excited about them last year, so it's nice to see their efforts pay off this year. I think they're going to be great pair. I think they're going to have a ton of success. Ava especially really put in a steady amount of work and earned that position."

A handful of sophomores — Isabella Periquito, Carmen Dallaire, Liana Soares, Carly Cordeiro, Emily Bairos — along with the other senior on the squad, Mackenzie Botelho, could each see action in doubles at some point as well.

The Townies will need everyone ready from the get-go as they'll be busy right out of the gate. East Providence travels to Johnston for its league opener Monday, Sept. 11, then plays its first home match on Wednesday, Sept. 13, against Cranston East at 3:30 p.m. before getting right back on the road Thursday, Sept. 14, against Tolman at Slater Park. Both away matches start at 4 p.m.

Others outings of note for the Townies include their intracity clashes with Providence Country Day and the aforementioned reigning champion Bengals. East Providence hosts the next door neighbor Knights on September 19 then welcomes Bay View to the Townie Tennis Center October 5. In between, EPHS is home to Scituate on September 25. The Townies edged the Spartans 4-2 in last year's semifinals. Scituate, like East Providence, returns a bevy of talented players, including their top six on the ladder.

Of the season ahead, Sharma said, "We have the talent to really contend. I think the expectations are the same as last year. We're going to put our best foot forward, keep dancing until they turn lights off on us. And I really believe we'll be there for the last dance. Whatever happens, happens, but I expect us to push this thing to the max of our limits."