East Lyme — Fitch senior Samantha Cote didn’t have to work as hard during the tennis offseason as she did last season.

“I had to recruit a lot of girls last year because I was so afraid no one was going to come (out),” Cote said. “We had about 50 girls try out. The interest was insane for tennis. We’ve never had that, so I knew we were going to have a strong team. We could all play.

“I’m really excited. I’m so happy that so many girls are willing to play.”

There’s talent in those numbers for the Falcons, too. They swept their three doubles matches to edge rival East Lyme on Friday, 4-3, in an Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I match.

Fitch is 6-1, 1-1. It needs just three more wins to match last season’s total.

“I was really looking forward to this season,” Cote said. “I knew we were going to be strong this season because everyone already had a season behind them who were playing varsity.”

Cote won the number one singles match for the Falcons.

The doubles teams of Haley Rodgers-Hayden Kowalski, Charlina Holloway-Mae Flax and Fiona Kennedy-Nyseanah Ishmael all won in straight sets.

“Our four singles players are back, and in our doubles ladder, out of the six starters, five of them came back,” Fitch head coach Todd Higgins said. “So we felt pretty comfortable with our ladder going in. And, to be honest with you, I think we could have a fourth doubles team and a fifth doubles team playing in our varsity ladder.

“I think we’re pretty solid from top-to-bottom. I think that’s what won it for us today.”

Kennedy and Ishamel won the final match at No. 3 doubles 6-3, 6-1 for the win.

Becca Paggioli, Yurinia Shirai, and Liz Beaulieu won at singles for East Lyme (0-3, 0-2), which won the division last season and reached the CIAC Class M quarterfinals.

The Vikings’ opening schedule has been a challenge. They opened with Guilford (a 5-2 loss), which was Class M runnerup in 2015 and 2017. They also lost to Woodstock Academy (4-3), which was elevated to the ECC’s top division this spring based on past success.

Stonington was also moved up to round out Division I. The Bears have been perennial Class S contender and the conference’s home office for girls’ tennis. Stonington beat Fitch 5-2 on Wednesday.

“We’ve always faced them (once a season), so I’ve been used to playing them,” Cote said. “It is definitely going to be a challenge, but I think we have the ability to really compete with them. I’m really looking forward to playing them.

“I think it’s going to make us become a better team. (Competition) just makes you better.”

n.griffen@theday.com