Girls’ High School Preview

There’s been no better team on Long Island over the last few years than the Vikings of Port Washington. The team has lost just one time over its last 51 matches, and went undefeated in 2019 en route to a county and Long Island championship. With young talent still at the top of its lineup, including singles players Thea Rabman and Ellie Ross, Port Washington will once again be the favorite to repeat as county champions, and have the opportunity to defend its Long Island title.

The Blazers from Great Neck North came up one win shy of the county title a year ago, falling to the aforementioned Port Washington Vikings. This year’s team will be without last year’s top singles player and one of the best players in the state in Amy Delman, but returns key contributors Alyssa Ghassabian and Alina Lyakhov, both of whom represented their team and the county at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Championships last year. With the two of them leading way, Great Neck North should once again be in contention for the county title.

One of the toughest teams to beat over the last couple of years has been the Hewlett Bulldogs, both because of its top-tier talent in singles, but also because of a deep roster that spreads talent across all of the seven courts during a match. Led by senior and Harvard-commit Rachel Arbitman, Hewlett will once again be on the radar for a county title. Arbitman won the state singles title two years ago, and partnered

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with Nyla Gershfeld to win the state doubles title a year ago. With those two anchoring the Hewlett lineup, the Bulldogs will be tough to beat this season.

The Braves have been one of the more consistent teams over the last few years, and that should be no different in 2020. Despite losing some key contributors in its starting lineup, Syosset will be in good hands with Alex Ho and Alexa Brecher leading the singles lineup, and with depth at each position in the lineup, something Syosset has been known for over the years, the team will be a tough opponent for anyone in the county.

Friends Academy should be in for a huge bump in success this coming season. A season ago, freshman Isabella Sha played first singles and won all 10 of her singles matches, something she will look to repeat and build upon this fall in her sophomore campaign. If Sha is able to have that sort of success once again, and Friends gets contributions from its doubles teams, the Quakers could be on the verge of a deep playoff run.

The Hurricanes have been dominate in Suffolk County and have put together a great run over the past two seasons. Those seasons have ended in grand fashion with two Suffolk County titles, and a Long Island championship two years ago. Returning this year will be top player Rose Hayes, the twotime defending county singles champion, who will lead a group of girls eager to reclaim its throne as LI champions.

Commack has been one of the most steady teams on Long Island for the last several years, compiling multiple years of sustained success, and that should be no different once again in 2020. Led by one of the Island’s best players in Emily Tannenbaum, as well as a deep cast of singles and doubles talent to fill out the roster, Commack should be a serious threat to win its first county title since 2016.

The Buccaneers of Islip came up just one match-win shy of being the Suffolk champions and representing the county in the Long Island championship. Despite losing a host of senior talent, the Islip program will be eager to return to the county title game this fall, and go one step further than it did a year ago, a quest that will be led by Maya Levy, Ava Andria, Ava Delisle and Ciara Hand.

Last year, Hauppauge was led by Andriana Zaphiris, who claimed the third-place prize at the county singles tournament. Now a senior, Zaphiris will look to build off of that success that she had, both in the individual tournament as well as in a leadership role for her Hauppauge Eagles. Along with second singles player Melody Chang, Zaphiris and Hauppauge look to put together a season that sees it make a deep playoff run.

By the Thunderbirds standards, 2019 was a bit of a disappointment, one it aims to make up for this fall. The Half Hollow Hills East program has been synonymous with winning for decades now, so failing to reach the county title match can seem like the team came up short. In 2020, look for Hills East to be a force to be reckoned with. Led by top talent such as junior Skylar Semon, who went to the state tournament a year ago in doubles the Thunderbirds will be one of the teams in contention for a county title.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at the time this magazine went to print there is still uncertainty on how the fall athletic season will progress. Be sure to check out LITennisMag.com and follow @nytennismag on Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date news on the girls’ high school seasons.

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