Focused North Quincy team blanks Archbishop Williams in girls tennis

North Quincy’s Kathy Mo returns a shot to Addie Woodgate of Archbishop Williams. North Quincy won the state tournament match 5-0. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)

QUINCY – There was plenty at stake, but as North Quincy’s girls tennis squad walked onto the court at nearby Bishop Field and Playground, the Raiders felt relaxed, only focused on the task at hand.

All season, Kathy Mo has been a leader for her group, and she lived up to high expectations once again. The senior defeated sophomore Addie Woodgate in first singles (6-0, 6-0), pacing No. 30 North Quincy to a 5-0 sweep of a local rival in No. 35 Archbishop Williams to open its Div. 2 playoff run.

“I was definitely focusing on one point at a time,” said Mo. “Staying consistent, knowing when to hit which shot, think about what will make her think about how to move, hit back … it definitely worked out for me. I think it helped me with my confidence.”

Mo was locked in from the start, wrapping up her match in less than one hour. Her teammates quickly followed suit.

The Raiders (11-10) entered Wednesday’s preliminary contest shorthanded, as coach Kai Cheong attended to a family matter. Known for helming the boys team at North Quincy, Phi Nguyen stepped into his place, with his own squad set to host a postseason nightcap later in the evening.

“To me, we always taught the girls to be consistent,” said Nguyen. “Focus on what they want to do in a match.”

Mo then approached her matchup with flawless expertise, ensuring there would be no hiccups as her school chased a victory.

“I thought of her as any other opponent,” Mo said of Woodgate. “I didn’t really think of who I was playing against. She was just the opponent I’m going to be playing with. I’m going to focus on what I can do.”

“Kathy is a very powerful, consistent player,” Nguyen said. “The only thing I ask of her is to focus on continuing to focus on every shot she makes. Make smart plays.”

Vivian Lee proceeded to knock off Reese Durfee in third singles (6-1, 6-1) shortly thereafter, before Christine Lin clinched the match for North Quincy with a win at second singles (6-2, 6-1) over Cat Crowley.

After that, it became a matter of simply finishing things off for the Raiders.

Maggie Ching and Emily Lim coasted to a victory in first doubles over the Archbishop Williams duo of Grace York and Bella Buonopane, winning 6-1, 6-1. Then, in a very heated second doubles match featuring a little bit of controversy, Anushka Raj and Lydia Zheng held on 7-5, 6-3, putting the match away for North Quincy.

The path to glory doesn’t ease up for the Raiders, though. The victory sets North Quincy up for a tilt with third-seeded Westborough in the Div. 2 Round of 32.

There is no quit in this squad, however.

“Normally, we don’t encourage people to have any alternative motivation except for self-improvement,” Nguyen said. “Just for the love of tennis. That’s what the girls do. They do it for the love of tennis, and how to self-improve.”