2023 Long Island Girls’ High School Preview
When the leaves begin to change colors and the weather gets cooler, that ushers in a new year of girls’ high school tennis here on Long Island.
To quickly recap the 2022 season, the Port Washington Vikings captured both the Nassau County Large School Championship and the Long Island Large School Championships to qualify for the New York State Championships where it would finish as runner-ups.
Port Washington defeated Suffolk County Large School champion Harborfields in the Long Island championship, while Cold Spring Harbor was crowned as the Long Island Small School Champions thanks to a victory over the Suffolk County Small School Champion Ross School.
As we head into the fall of 2023, Long Island Tennis Magazine spoke to two of the top players on Long Island, as well as with coaches, to compile some of the players and teams to watch for in the upcoming 2023 Long Island Girls’ High School Season.
*all players and dates are subject to change
Syosset
One year ago, Syosset was one win victory away from claiming another Nassau County Championship, but fell just short. The Braves will be motivated to go one step further this fall, and will lean on its strong and deep lineup in order to do so. That depth has been a strength for Syosset over the years and that will be no different this year. While it loses some key contributors from last year’s team, including Abby Glenn, Olivia Tiegerman and Rachel Lin, Syosset will lean on experienced players such as Zia Mukherjee, Sanam Mehta, Manami Wakazono, Julia Isham, Elaine Liu, Taylor Weinstock, Stephanie Marcheret and more to once again remain at the top of the county’s top conference.
Hewlett
Led by the aforementioned Gershfeld, Hewlett enters this fall with high expectations as a team. Accompanying Gershfeld in the singles lineup will be Sahara Ahmad and Tiffany Lin, and the Bulldogs will have talented depth in their doubles play as well, which will help it compete against some of the county’s better teams. Those doubles players include Eva Karmazin, Mia Teplish, Aryn Feldman and Olivia Tetsoti, as well as some new varsity players joining the lineup.
Manhasset
Manhasset was just one win away from reaching the Nassau County Championship last year and will be out to make a deep run again this fall. Manhasset fell to Syosset in the semifinals but returns a lot of its top tier talent from that team which should make it a contender once again. Despite losing key contributors such as graduating seniors JuliaChiovitti, Alexandra McIntyre and Claire Dambrosio, Manhasset will bring back top singles players Andrea Vases, Diane Durante and Lina Vases, the latter two reached the state championships in doubles last season. In order to fill the gaps left by the departing players, Manhasset will look to get contributions from doubles players such as Alexandra Bartul, Grace Li, Regina Huang and Allison Tak as it aims to make another playoff push.
Roslyn
Like Manhasset, Roslyn was just one win away from reaching the county final last fall, but the Bulldogs are prepared to build on that success this time around. Roslyn will be anchored by Anika Tolat, their number one singles player last season who also finished third in the county doubles tournament. With Ava Veneziano having graduated, Roslyn will need Alexandra Krol and eighth- grader Emily Glass to play a big role, and will rely on the depth of its team as it returns starters Katelyn Yuen, Ryann Rappaport, Shayla Ai, Alexa Kessler and Emma Pnini from the 2022 squad.
Cold Spring Harbor
Last season, Cold Spring Harbor put together one of its best campaigns in recent years, and it resulted in a Nassau County and Long Island Championship for the Seahawks. They will be without graduating senior Nicolette Loeffler, the county singles champion, but returns a lot of key starters from last year’s championship team. That includes the second and third singles players, respectively, Kati Cotek and Brooke Winthrop, as well as doubles players Dylan Savarese, Fiona Meier and Amber Zhou.
Additional Nassau County Players to Watch
Nina Weise, Garden City
Kayla Castellano, Garden City
Madison Lee, Great Neck South
Evie Loewy, Port Washington
Angel Walia, Herricks
Katelyn Ho, Great Neck North
Alex Raikos, Mepham
Skylar Cohen, Friends Academy
Ava Sun, Friends Academy
Suffolk County Teams to Watch
Harborfields
Last year, Harborfields put together one of the best seasons in program history as it captured the Suffolk County Large School Championship and reached the Long Island Championship. And while it will be without three of its top players from last year, including Isabella and Victoria Frangione as well as Emma Kirschner, Harborfields still possess a deep and talented team beaming with championship experience. Zoe Sabarra-Vaughan and Hana Deckman return to anchor the singles lineup, both of whom were all-county last year, as does Carsen Rittberger, and the all-state doubles team of Aya Deckman & Josie Rudloff return to play first doubles, with Brianna Coakley & Allie Bigelow back in the doubles lineup to help create a formidable lineup.
“We do have seven of our top 10 players returning, all of which had fantastic records last year, and we also had a very successful junior varsity season led by a few top players with lots of talent,” said Harborfields head coach Jimmy Delevante. “We plan to compete for the county title and I think we have a chance to win it again. The girls really came together as a team the last two seasons and I think they can do it again.”
Hills East
The key to the Hills East team this season will be the depth of talent it has on its roster which helps create flexibility when putting together the lineup. Leading the way in singles will be sophomore Christina Zhao, freshman Anjali Raza and senior Angelina Malik, all of whom are capable of competing in the first singles spot, according to head coach Steve Ferrantello. While it will be without graduating seniors Victoria Czoch and Rachel Neuman, the Thunderbirds will expect key contributions from returning doubles players such as Samantha Heyman, Emma Wilck and Brielle Marcus as it hopes to return to the county championship.
“I expect big contributions for them all and as a team we have a new young core, but I expect to compete for a title once again,” said Ferrantello.
Ward Melville
Ward Melville enters 2023 without two of its top contributors from a year ago, Kira Kronenberg at first singles and Catherine Park at first doubles, but the Patriots will still be out to make a deep playoff run. It will be led by sophomore Lynelle Chernavsky, a hard-hitter with a big forehand and consistent backhand who has the chops to beat anybody in the county. Alex Potekhin, competed at third singles a year ago and will most likely move up to second singles this year, with Ana Smith expected to step into the third singles spot. Ward Melville still has doubles depth as well, led by Sophia and Sana Kahn, who will be at first doubles as the team looks to take the next step and win a Suffolk County Championship.
Commack
The Cougars are always a contending team in Suffolk County’s top league and that should be no different this season. At the top of the lineup, Commack will be led by former state champion Kady Tannenbaum who returns for her senior season, as well as Amelia Kleiman and Victoria Wroblewski, while relying on its depth thanks to veteran players such as Abby Kleiman, Bianca Reznic and Jaslyn Cloughen, as it aims to make a deep push into the Suffolk County playoffs.
Bayport-Blue Point
The champions of the Suffolk County Small Schools in 2021 and 2022, Bayport-Blue Point will be out to defend its title this fall and enters the year with high expectations. Returning eight of its 10 starters from last year and led by Emilia Romano atop the lineup, the Phantoms are out to win a third consecutive county title. Bolstering the lineup behind Romano is Scarlett Kingston, who played second singles a year ago, and the doubles lineups will be helped out by Ava Duras along with freshmen Lily Castka and Evie Romano who will play a key role in the team’s success. It’s a difficult task, but the Phantoms are eager to back up its previous two county titles and go for the three-peat, and hopefully this time come away with the Long Island title.
Additional Suffolk County Players to Watch
Maria Perez, Middle Country
Matilda Buchen, Westhampton Beach
Julia Stabile, Westhampton Beach
Meredith Albertelli, Sayville
Abigail Breen, Sayville
Sarah Zaniel, Kings Park
Aleksa Brazyte, Connetquot
Abigail Lem, East Islip
