The Fairfield girls tennis team made history Monday, September 14th at Burlington, sweeping the Grayhounds 9-0 to clinch the Southeast Conference championship for the third consecutive year while completing what head coach Travis Dunkin believes to be a historically perfect regular season.
With the victory, Fairfield finished the regular season 9-0 overall with every single dual match won by a 9-0 score — going 81-0 in individual matches across the season. The Trojans have not lost a conference dual or non-conference dual since 2024, and have now won back-to-back-to-back conference titles across three straight seasons — going 10-0 in the spring of 2025, 9-0 in the fall of 2025, and 9-0 this fall.
Burlington did not make things easy in singles, but Fairfield got the job done across all six matchups. Natalie Steele opened things up at No. 1 with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Ava Fawcett. Ria Ross followed with a competitive 7-5, 6-3 win over Leah Sieren at No. 2. Sriya Yammanur handled Saoirse Hermann-Wickham 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3. Mareyn Dunkin took care of Sophia Pettit 6-3, 6-2 at No. 4. Faeven Gebremariam edged Kayleigh Hartman 6-4, 6-3 at No. 5. Freshman Kinzley Dunkin closed out singles with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 victory over Ali Guyton at No. 6. The conference championship was clinched — but the Trojans weren’t done yet, with the perfect season still on the line heading into doubles.
In doubles, played as a 10-game pro set, Steele and Ross defeated Fawcett and Sieren 10-1 at No. 1. The Dunkin Duo of Mareyn and Kinzley defeated Guyton and Hartman 10-2 at No. 3. Yammanur and Gebremariam sealed the perfect season with a gritty 9-8 win over Hermann-Wickham and Pettit at No. 2 in a match called early due to darkness — and just like that, history was made.
Fairfield head coach Travis Dunkin said the accomplishment is one the team will carry with them forever. “I’m pretty sure it’s history based on what I can find anyways. I’m just super excited for them,” Dunkin said. “They all had the stress of not being the ‘first’ loss. We tried not talking about it but we all know everyone was thinking about it. Proud how they showed up each and every match ready to go. It’s something now they can take with them forever knowing they completed the perfect season sweep of 9-0 and going 81-0 in matches.” He added that the team’s focus now shifts to the postseason. “Our sights are still individual state and team state but this is an outstanding accomplishment they just achieved. I’m so happy for these girls I can’t put it into words. I’m grateful and lucky to be their coach and to be a part of this journey.
The Trojans will be back in action on the same courts in Burlington on Wednesday, September 16th for the Southeast Conference tournament as the post season now begins.
