The end of summer doesn’t only mean the start of the U.S. Open, but also that a new year of girls’ high school tennis is almost here on Long Island.

A year ago, Long Island was home to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) State Champion in singles, as Herricks’ Angel Walia capped off her high school career with the remarkable achievement. The Great Neck South pairing of Madison Lee & Gabrielle Alexa Villegas reached the doubles championship.

In team play, Syosset was the winner of the Long Island Division I title before falling to Horace Greeley in the state finals, while Bayport-Blue Point won its first ever Long Island Division II title, eventually dropping a tight contest to Byram Hills in the state championship.

Now it’s time to look ahead to the 2025 season. Long Island Tennis Magazine has broken down some of the players and teams to watch, and also included is the key scheduling dates this fall as we prepare for another great season.

All players and dates are subject to change

Nassau County Teams to Watch

Syosset

The most dominant program across Long Island for the better part of a decade is the Syosset Braves. They have won five Nassau County championships since 2018, and brought home three of the last four Long Island Large School championships. Now, Syosset aims to capture its first New York State Girls’ Team Tennis title. Leading the way will be senior Stephanie Marcheret, who played first singles a year ago and will be back to anchor the Syosset lineup. As always, Syosset’s depth will play a major role in its success. Shubu Pradhan jumped into the singles lineup a year ago and will be a key factor this fall, as will Hannah Wang, Kayla Lo, Diya Varma, Julia Isham and Selena Wang, among others. While it loses key seniors Sanam Mehta, Zia Mukherjee and Manasi Pradhan from last year’s team, with a roster full of talent and experience, Syosset is motivated to make it back to the New York State Championships and compete for the state title.

Port Washington

The Vikings of Port Washington were one win away from winning the Nassau County title and competing for the Long Island Championship last season, and with a bulk of its starters returning including its top singles players, expectations are high. Leading the way at the top will be sophomore Brianna Lewis, who competed at first singles in her freshman season. Junior Evie Loewy returns to bolster the singles lineup, as does junior Christiana Kent, who was at first doubles last season. Only one player from Port Washington’s county runner-up team graduated, and with significant depth pieces like Shoriya Bhat-Bhandarkar, Juliana Johnson and Ruby Siskind back, the Vikings are ready to make another deep playoff run.

Roslyn

Last season, Roslyn came up one match short of playing for the Nassau County title, falling in the semifinals, and are poised for more success. Returning to anchor the lineup will be junior Chloe Gross, who played first singles for a bulk of the season and also reached the New York State Individual Championships alongside graduated senior Alexandra Krol in doubles play. The senior pairing of Ryan Rappaport & Shoshana Ross who had dominant junior seasons competing at first doubles will look to duplicate that success, as will Olivia Erenburg & Sofia Carlese, who were one of the best second doubles teams in the county in 2024.

Cold Spring Harbor

For the last three seasons, Cold Spring Harbor has captured the Nassau County Small School championship and competed for the Long Island Small School title. In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Seahawks won the Long Island crown and advanced to the New York State Team Championships, but were unable to duplicate that last fall, coming up short in the LI final. That will mean a motivated Cold Spring Harbor team this season, and with key players back, they are prepared for another deep playoff run. Brooke Winthrop has been a steady anchor for the Seahawks at first singles for several years and returns for her senior season, while important and experienced players such as Stevie Sullivan, Sylvana Guariglia, Kaitlynn Hanna, Dylan Savarese, Hadley Arcati and Alexa Torrey are all back to continue Cold Spring Harbor’s run of success.

Great Neck South

Led by two of the best players on all of Long Island, Great Neck South will be a threat to compete for a Nassau County title.  Senior Madison Lee, a mainstay of the Rebels team for years now, returns for one final run, as does Gabrielle Alexa Villegas who burst onto the scene a year ago as a seventh-grader. Together, the two won the Nassau County doubles title and would go on to reach the finals of the New York State Individual Championships. They will headline a singles lineup that also includes freshman Zoe Li who was a crucial player for Great Neck South in 2024. The team has a deep lineup in doubles play which includes Victoria Wong, Samantha Wong, Mengkou Kuang, Chloe Yim and Nicole Zhang, rounding out a roster that can compete with anyone in the county.

Nassau County Additional Players to Watch

• Angelina Bravo, Garden City
• Chelsea Ching, Garden City
• Tiffany Lin, Helwett
• Eva Karmazin, Hewlett
• Lilliana Chou, Division
• Kirsten Maurischat, Manhasset
• Catherine Jin, Herricks
• Bea Nikki Degoma, Valley Stream Central
• Bogi Molnar, Glen Cove
• Charlie Travis, Lynbrook

Nassau County Key Dates

Regular Season Ends – Tuesday, October 7

County Individual Tournament – Saturday-Sunday, October 11-12

Team Playoffs – Wednesday, October 8 – Friday, October 17

Small School Championship – Tuesday, October 21

Large School Championship – Wednesday, October 22

NYS Individual Championships – Monday, October 27 – Wednesday, October 29

LI Small School Championship – Friday, October 31

LI Large School Championship – Monday, November 3

NYS Regional Championships – Tuesday, November 4

NYS Team Championships – Friday, November 7

Suffolk County Teams to Watch

Bayport-Blue Point

A year ago, Bayport-Blue Point captured the program’s first-ever Long Island small school championship, and the Phantoms have the roster to defend that title. While Emilia Romano who played first singles the last couple of seasons has graduated, Lily Castka is more than capable of taking over as the team’s top player. Castka was dominant at second singles last season and will look to replicate that this year as she moves up to first singles. Evie Romano, a two-time all-state doubles player with loads of playoff experience will help bolster the lineup, as well a trio of freshman Jordana Heller, Leila Rogers and Julie Wellems, all of whom were all-county as eighth-graders in 2024. Senior Danielle Oleksiak is a two-time all-county doubles player and will provide veteran leadership on a team that expects contributions from many young players.

Hills East

Hills East won the Suffolk County Large School Championship again last season, its third consecutive, and now has its eyes set on bringing home a Long Island title for the first time. Leading the way in singles will be a strong trio of Ashley Pursoo, Christina Zhao and Kate Holland, with the latter two being seniors and bringing a lot of varsity experience. Samantha Heyman & Emma Wilck, who were one of the best doubles teams on Long Island last season, return for their senior years, as does Jayden Seff and Callie Bornstein. The senior-heavy Hills East squad is preparing for a third straight county title, and another opportunity to win that elusive Long Island crown.

Northport

Despite having a young roster, Northport is a team that could compete for the Suffolk County title.. After compiling one of its best seasons in recent years in 2024, Northport will have to make up for the loss of three key seniors in singles play, but has a talented young core that is more than capable of filling the void. Ava Hagerdorn & Lilah Jane Leogrande finished in fourth place in the Suffolk County Division I Doubles Championships and will be a key factor in Northport’s success.  Avery Shin will provide veteran leadership as a senior, and other young depth pieces such as Sara Rayola, Julia Desena, Ellie O’Neill and Nora Segur will provide a deep roster of players eager to build off of the success of last year.

Ross School

The Ravens of Ross School reached the Suffolk County Small School Championship in each of the last two seasons, and will be a threat to return to that position. The doubles team of Lillien Weiss & Luanna Carmo qualified for the New York State Individual Championships, and the freshman and eighth-grader will be back to lead the way. In addition, experienced and talented players such as Lola Dangin, Olivia Caruso, Brooke Saracco, Emilie Biehl Olesen, Mia Frolich and Sophia Kolberg round out a lineup that is motivated to go at least one step further than it has. Ross is in search of its first Suffolk County title, and it has the players capable of leading them there.

William Floyd

One of the final four teams remaining in the 2024 Suffolk County Large School playoffs, the Patriots of William Floyd look to build upon that foundation.  And with a senior led squad, Floyd has the roster to do just that. Seniors Anabel Van Cott, Lydia Van Cott, Gianna Martin and Tatiana Sanchez will lead the way for a team that went 13-2 in Suffolk County’s Conference IV. All-league players Corinne Neidig and Rylie Wiegand return to bolster the Floyd lineup, and with the experience of having reached the semifinals of the county playoffs last season, Floyd will be one of the teams to beat later this fall.

Suffolk County Additional Players to Watch

• Sofia Perez, Mt. Sinai
• Sofia Matos, Longwood
• Victoria Abayev, Copiague
• Lynelle Chernavsky, Ward Melville
• Aya Deckman, Harborfields
• Amelia Kleiman, Commack
• Aleksa Brazyte, Connetquot
• Mia Kaufman, Huntington
• Gabby Binetti, Sayville

Suffolk County Key Dates

Regular Season Begins – Tuesday, September 2

Regular Season Ends – Friday, October 10

Division Individual Tournament – Saturday, October 11 – Tuesday, October 14

County Individual Tournament – Saturday, October 18 – Tuesday, October 21

Team Playoffs – Wednesday, October 15 – Thursday, October 30

Small School Championship – Friday, October 24

Large School Championship – Thursday, October 30

LI Small School Championship – Friday, October 31

LI Large School Championship – Monday, November 3

NYS Individual Championships – Monday, October 27 – Wednesday, October 29

LI Small School Championship – Friday, October 31

LI Large School Championship – Monday, November 3

NYS Regional Championships – Tuesday, November 4

NYS Team Championships – Friday, November 7

To have your team’s scores appear in our daily recaps, have your coach send us scores via our Score Submission Form OR e-mail us a link to the match details on UTR.