Long Island Daily High School Recap: Syosset Advances to Nassau Final

April 14, 2021 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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Photo Credit: David Sickmen

 

The Syosset Braves moved into the 2021 Nassau County Girls’ Tennis Championship with a 5-2 victory over the Hewlett Bulldogs on Tuesday.

Rachel Arbitman and Nyla Gershfeld gave Hewlett its two points with victories at first and second singles, respectively, and after Syosset received wins from the second doubles tandem of Sara Gao & Zia Mukherjee and the fourth doubles pairing of Iris Ho & Mia Silverman, the match was all squared at two.

Hewlett seemed poise to come out victorious as the Bulldogs held leads in the three remaining flights. But Syosset got on the comeback trail and Alex Ho & Liv Tiegerman came back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 at first doubles.

“Liv and I have really great chemistry when we play together and even though we started off slow, we just stayed positive and dialed in which led to an energy burst that carried us through the second and third set,” said Ho. “In the first set, we were going for too much and over hitting. After that we just went back to basics and stayed consistent while still being aggressive at times.”

At third singles, Alexa Brecher fought back from a set and 3-5 down in the second set to beat Hewlett’s Nicole Pinkus 1-6, 7-5, 6-1, and Elsie Ho & Amanda Huang came back from a set and 2-5 down in the second set to win 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 at third doubles and clinch Syosset’s victory.

“It was a huge win and I couldn’t be more proud of my team. We are so strong all the way from first singles down to our alternates,” added Ho. “The high energy and enthusiasm coming from everyone including our parents had a huge role in helping us win because it really amped everyone up and made everyone even hungrier to win than we already were.”

Syosset now awaits the winner of the semifinal between Port Washington and Roslyn which is set to be played on Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m extremely proud of all the girls for getting to this point.  They’ve put in a ton of hours, adhered to all kinds of new safety protocol, sacrificed time with family and friends, all for the betterment of the team,” said Syosset Head Coach Shai Fisher. “So for the girls, they’re super excited for the opportunity to play for a County Championship.  Whether it’s Port Washington or Roslyn, both are top notch tennis programs and it will be a great final either way.”

On Tuesday, Port Washington secured its spot in the semifinals by beating Jericho 6-1. Ellie Ross clinched the Vikings’ win with a 6-0, 6-4 triumph at second singles.

2021 Nassau County Girls’ Playoff Bracket

In Suffolk County, Hills East maintained its undefeated season by beating Harborfields 6-1 as Janelle Chen was a 6-4, 6-4 winner at first singles. Also in League I, Commack defeated Huntington 5-2.


Scenes from Syosset vs. Hewlett, Nassau County Semifinal

 

 


Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
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