This story originally ran in The Standard-Times on May 29, 2003.

By Nick Tavares
Standard-Times correspondent

The Lakers walk into the state tournament with the best record in Division II South, but face a surprisingly tough road ahead.

The Apponequet boys (18-0) lost the pole position by a flip of the coin to Duxbury (16-0) and now find themselves in a fiercely competitive bracket. The Lakers will face the winner of No. 15 Medway (11-5) and No. 18 West Bridgewater (9-5) tomorrow at 330 p.m.

"Well, if we're fortunate enough to get out of the first round, we'll really have our hands full," Apponequet coach Dan Rose said. "We're in a very tough bracket, and Wellesley and Bishop Feehan loom around the corner. But we've got good depth in every position and we're capable of hanging in."

The Lakers will look to respective Nos. 1 Nate Carvalho (singles) and Zack Brink and Kyle Stobie (doubles) to lead the charge.

Also playing in Division II will be Old Rochester (14-4) in the ninth spot. Today, the Bulldogs host Medford at Tabor Academy, 330 p.m .

The winner visits Martha's Vineyard, 330 p.m., Friday.

No. 22 Westport (10-9) travels to face No. 11 Dover-Sherborn.

New Bedford (17-1), which holds the fifth seed in Division I South, will take on the winner of Natick and Brookline, whose Eric Forming is one of the top singles players in the South region.

"We know a little about every team ahead of us," said head coach Bob Ryan. "I just want to win the first at home, and, if we play well, we should be able to compete with everyone else."

New Bedford was led all season by Vish Srinagesh, who completed his four-year career undefeated in regular-season, dual-meet matches, dropping only one set in the process.

Dartmouth (10-8) grabs the 20 seed in Division I and will travel to 13th-seeded Catholic Memorial.

Old Rochester's girls will host 24-seeded Mansfield today at Hasting Middle School in Fairhaven and, should they advance, will travel to Medfield on Friday.

"We have a lot of senior experience," said ORR coach Bob Hohne. "Our first doubles have only lost three times, our second doubles have only lost once, and first singles Cayla Clancy has beaten everyone in the Greater New Bedford area, so we're going to go with what has brought us here."

The one question that Old Rochester will have to face will be its third-singles position, which three different players have occupied.

No. 15 Westport (10-8) hosts No. 18 Norwell today. The winner visits No. 2 Cohasset (16-0).

Dartmouth's girls squad will host the winner of today's Sandwich-Durfee match (date TBA). Dartmouth enters the tournament with an 18-2 record and the second seed in Division I South.

This story appeared on Page B1 of The Standard-Times on May 29, 2003.