South Side Beats Massapequa For Fifth Straight Win

September 29, 2017 | By Brian Coleman
Credit photos to Brian Coleman

With a huge Conference II-B showdown looming on Monday, South Side needed a win to keep pace with first-place Oceanside on Thursday afternoon. And the Cyclones did just that, beating Massapequa 6-1 at Hempstead Lake State Park to notch its fifth straight victory and improve to 8-1 on the season.

“I think we’re on a good win streak right now,” said South Side head coach Chris Colesanti. “We just have to keep taking it one match at a time.”

“The team is really coming together. We have a smaller squad this year which I think helps with the team unity,” Colesanti added when asked about his team’s success this year. “There are only 11 of us so the girls all know each other well and root for each other.”

Julia Gentile got South Side rolling quickly with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Cristina DaCosta at second singles. The Cyclones’ doubles team would sweep all four flights, led by the first doubles tandem of Katie Mazzanobile and Caroline Ditchik, who won 6-2, 6-2. Kendall Kelly rounded out the South Side win with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Katriona Durkin at third singles.

Massapequa’s lone win on the afternoon came at first singles in a tight match that was the last to finish. Sophomore Julianna Romeo fought back from 2-5 down in the second set to beat South Side freshman Lauren Zola 6-4, 7-5.

With the win, South Side remains one game behind Oceanside for first place in Nassau II-B. The Sailors beat Plainview JFK 5-2 on Thursday to stay perfect at 9-0 on the season.

“We have the big match Monday against Oceanside, and that’s probably going to decide where we end up, whether it’s first, second or third in the conference,” said Colesanti. “Making the playoffs has been our goal since day one. We have enough talent. Having our new player, Lauren Zola, at number one makes everyone in the lineup better and we can make a playoff run. There’s no reason we can’t.”

In Conference I action on Thursday, Great Neck North moved to 8-2 with a 4-2 triumph over Syosset. Alyssa Ghassabian led the way with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win over Hannah Abraham at third singles. It’s neighbor, Great Neck South, also improved to 8-2 on the year, beating Lynbrook 5-2 in Conference II-A action thanks to a big win from the first doubles team of Annie Dai and Sophia Schutte.

In Suffolk County, Harborfields did something they hadn’t done in 12 years: beating Half Hollow Hills East. Remi Berlent came back to beat Melissa Chen 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 at third singles in the clinching match to notch the 4-3 win for Harborfields and end the undefeated season for Hills East.

Below are the rest of the scores from across Long Island on Thursday:

►Herricks 4, Wheatley 3
►Hewlett 5, Jericho 2
►Locust Valley 5, Garden City 2
►Glen Cove 6, Clarke 1
►Baldwin 5, Hicksville 2
►Calhoun 6, MacArthur 1
►Long Beach 7, Freeport 0
►Bethpage 6, West Hempstead 1
►Smithtown West 6, Kings Park 1
►Lindenhurst 7, West Babylon 0
►Deer Park 6, Copiague 1
►Sachem 6, Mt. Sinai 1
►Miller Place 5, Middle Country 2
►Floyd 6, Shoreham-Wading River 1
►Mattituck 5, East Hampton 1


Brian Coleman
Senior Editor, Long Island Tennis Magazine
Brian Coleman is the Senior Editor for Long Island Tennis Magazine. He may be reached at brianc@usptennis.com.
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