The Saints finished with 48 points in the six-team flight scoring system. Collegiate was second at 47, Trinity Episcopal (38) third, St. Anne’s-Belfield (28) fourth, Saint Gertrude (15) fifth and Veritas (10) placed sixth. 

In a flight scoring system, competitors play small tournaments in groups separated into Nos. 1 through 6 singles and Nos. 1 through 3 doubles. Winners of an individual group garner 6 points for their team, while last-place finishers secure 1 point.

St. Catherine’s had last to Collegiate in head-to-head competition twice earlier in the year. Leading into the match, Saints coach Pontus Hiort stressed the importance of “leaving it all out on the court” to his players as the season winds down with VISAA championship play on tap for next week.

“Squeeze every ounce out of your possibilities and your ability on that day,” Hiort said. “And our players really responded, they fought amazingly well.”

For St. Catherine’s, No.1 singles player Lindsay Paullin placed third in her flight to earn 4 points. No. 2 singles player Mary Spencer Gallienne was second in her flight, good for 5 points. No. 3 singles player McKinley Thompson won her flight to capture 6 points for the Saints. 

In the No. 4 singles flight, St. Catherine’s Abby Paullin was victorious to gain another 6 points for the Saints, whose depth played a key role as Nos. 5 and 6 singles players Vivian Morris and Claiborne Thompson each won their flights to combine for 12 points.

In doubles competition, St. Catherine’s No. 1 pairing of Lindsay Paullin and McKinley Thompson placed third in their flight for 4 points. The No. 2 doubles team of Abby Paullin and Morris placed second for 5 points. And at the No. 3 doubles spot, Gallienne and partner Claiborne Thompson won their flight to secure all 6 points.

“Collectively, we just did a much better job during the LIS tournament of really playing with purpose and intensity,” Hiort said. “We limited unforced errors, played really focused, sharp tennis when it mattered the most.

“The entire team has shown a remarkable trajectory through the last month of the season, they’ve really stepped up their games and improved a lot over the last couple of weeks prior to the LIS tournament.”

The VISAA’s first-round quarterfinals are Tuesday, November 7, with semifinals slated for the following Thursday and the championship match set for Saturday, November 11. Higher seeds host in each round.

Hiort said his Saints are playing their best tennis of the season right now, and highlighted a tough, 5-4 loss to Norfolk Academy on October 13 as a turning points in St. Catherine’s season.

Since, the Saints have defeated Trinity (7-2) and Veritas (9-0) before capturing Tuesday’s LIS title. 

“Academy is a good team, but we certainly didn’t play up to our ability during that match,” Hiort said.

“Once you have a bit of a tough loss, a team can respond in two ways. The season can either go downhill really quickly, or the team can regroup, put their best foot forward and start to improve from there on out.

“Immediately after that match, we got back into practicing and competing again, and it was clear that we had a renewed sense of purpose.”