Alyssa Carofano and Hillary Dutton

June 12, 2010 by Greg Lederer

Doubles Team Rides Chemistry To All-State Honors

When Cheshire High School senior Hillary Dutton and junior Alyssa Carofano entered the Yale University outdoor tennis facility on June 5, they encountered problems. First, with many players congregating for the start of the State Open, there was no place to sit down a racket bag. Then after patiently sitting for hours, a storm postponed play to Monday.
By the time they finished the tournament, the facility was nearly empty. Cheshire's number one doubles team enjoyed a surprising run to the quarterfinals. Despite a three-set loss (6-7, 6-4, 2-6) to Fairfield Ludlowe's Paige McCormick/Layne Rissolo, they earned All-State for the first time.
“It was pretty incredible,” said Dutton, a captain with classmate Maggie Tooley. “I'm definitely proud of making it that far.”
“We didn't expect that,” Carofano added.
It was an emotional end for a tandem that didn't start playing together until mid-season. Since Cheshire graduated eight players from last spring, Dutton moved from three doubles to the second singles spot. Carofano and classmate Erica Larson were new to the lineup at second doubles.
According to Cheshire Head Coach Mike Rahn, the Rams found their groove when Dutton was shifted back to doubles and Larson moved to fourth singles. Dutton's experience was a great resource for Carofano. They won their first five matches together, compiling a 17-5 record.
“We are really good communicators with each other,” explained Dutton, who received team MVP. “I'm more comfortable in doubles. I could help Alyssa and she helps calm me down.”
The friends had an interesting start to the State Open. East Haven's Claire and Sarah O'Donoghue defaulted their first round match, so Dutton and Carofano finally took the court against the fifth seeded team of Courtney Schissler/Isabella Bagi in an eight-game pro set. The same Branford duo were the first team to defeat Cheshire (1-6, 7-6, 6-3) on May 13. The Rams gained redemption with a 8-1 win.
“We were nervous and confident,” recalled Carofano. “We knew we had to beat them.”
The combination of Dutton's ground strokes and Carofano's net play continued to cause problems for Bristol Eastern's Kilee Bayne/Amanda Woznicki. Cheshire defeated the 11th seed 6-1, 6-1.
“I wasn't in the lineup last year and with Hillary's help, I've really improved,” said Carofano, who will join classmate Olivia Amato as 2011 captains.
The quarterfinal was a rematch from April 28. The Rams defeated Fairfield Ludlowe 7-6, 6-4. This time, Dutton and Carofano dropped a tiebreaker (5-7) for the first set. They bounced back to win the second and force a third set.
“After the second set, we had confidence going into the third. We knew we played our best,” added Dutton, who watched Tooley earn All-State playing doubles with 2009 graduate Morgan Hirt last year. “I was very happy for Maggie. It felt great to get that opportunity.”