When Danny Hirschberg ’11 stepped off the Yale University tennis court last Thursday, he not only had the satisfaction of a second straight Class LL individual title, but also of having clinched Staples’ first LL team championship since 1988.

“Winning the class LL state championship was an unbelievable feeling because it was what the team worked for throughout the entire year” said Hirschberg.

Going into the final match, Staples was tied with Greenwich in the team standings with a score of 23-23, meaning that if Hirschberg defeated Greenwich’s Tyler Kratke, Staples would emerge victorious.

The state tournament had been a grudge match of sorts for Staples, who had seen their undefeated season shattered by Greenwich in the FCIAC championship final earlier this spring.

Elsewhere in the tournament, the doubles duo of Jake Hirschberg ’13 and Graham Hyman ’12 lost in the finals, but their runner-up finish scored crucial points for the team race.

“After losing the FCIAC championship 4-0 to Greenwich, the whole team knew we had missed an opportunity but we still had a chance to do something special” Hyman said. “I am extremely happy to be a contributor to a championship team.”

Also contributing to the championship was Luke Foreman ’14, who was able to score unexpected points for Staples by upsetting the 7^th-seeded player (Foreman was unranked), then advancing to the quarterfinals on a default by Westhill.

“It was great to help out the team as much as I could, and overall the whole experience was really great” said Foreman.

Up next for the team is the State Open tournament, in which Danny Hirschberg is the favorite. Still, no matter the outcome of the Open, Hirschberg still views the team’s state title as the crowning achievement.

“Being the final and deciding match on court and winning the championship was definitely the highlight of my high school sports career” Hirschberg said.