Friday was the first day Rhode Island Interscholastic League schools could begin competition. With boys and girls cross country set to start competing Saturday, the only events on the opening day slate were three girls tennis matches.

If you were looking to restart high school sports with a bang, having two of the best girls tennis teams in the state wasn’t a bad way to begin.

The last match of the 2019 season was one of the first in 2020 as defending champ La Salle traveled to play Barrington. The Rams picked up right where they left off, winning three of four singles matches and sweeping the doubles as they downed the Eagles, 6-1.

But just playing meant a little more than the scores.

“It was definitely very nice to get back to the court. It was amazing to be the first sport to play since March,” said La Salle’s Hannah O’Brien, who won her match at No. 1 singles. “I feel very grateful for the chance to experience all this.”

“It was definitely nice considering we didn’t even know if we would have a season,” Barrington No. 1 Caroline Maher said. “Being out there, especially as a senior, it was just a great experience to have.”

While it was the biggest match on the three-game slate — with deepest apologies to Chariho and Mt. Hope, who met up for an Injury Fund battle — it wasn’t the first high school competition of the season.

By way of their 3:30 p.m. starting time, East Providence and Providence Country Day won the honors of being the first teams to compete in the COVID-19 era.

The Townies walked away as 5-2 winners in their Division III match, getting wins from No. 1 Raissa Luu and No. 4 Wendy Carvalho and the No. 1 doubles team of Jaelyn DaSilva and Emma Gilheeney also helping. Forfeit wins at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles also gave EP the distinction of being the first undefeated team of the season.

Across the Bay, where temperatures and the breeze made it feel like any other match between the Rams and Eagles, the masks and social distancing were a subtle reminder that things were anything but.

Players wore masks onto the court. There were no team introductions, no huddles and players had to serve their own tennis balls, which meant constantly checking balls on the ground to see if they belonged to you.

None of that really mattered. Being a part of a team did.

“It was just so great to even be on a bus with the team,” La Salle’s Caroline Taylor said. “It was great to be with a team in general.”

“There’s definitely something missing and you can feel it a little. You can’t do things like team dinners or things outside of practice,” Barrington’s Sonya Pareek said. “But we are still bonding and it’s great to play because we can see each other more.”

O’Brien, Taylor and No. 4 Blaisedel Frampton helped La Salle get off to the start they wanted with wins in singles. The Rams were strong at doubles last year and this year doesn’t look much different. Maya Stepic and Lindsey Frisina won at No. 1, Leila Toubia and Arianna DeThomas won at No. 2 and Sophia DeThomas and Sofia Rose were winners at No. 3.

If the defending champs weren’t the favorite this season, they are now.

“We’re taking it like every other year — one match at a time,” O’Brien said. “This week was Barrington, next week we’ll focus on next week and the week after we’ll focus on the week after. You can’t focus too far ahead.”

Kate Robertson earned the lone point for Barrington Friday. It wasn’t an ideal start for the Eagles but it was a start. They just hope the finish gets them a rematch with La Salle.

“It’s a good reality check,” Maher said, “for the rest of the season.”