After a strong 2023, the girls varsity tennis team has extremely high expectations for this season. Last year, Port finished fifth in league play and reached the county quarterfinals, where they lost to Great Neck South High School by a score of 4-3. But this season, the team is looking forward to a bounce back and having a deeper playoff run. With a strong core of upperclassmen and a competitive spirit from up and coming players, they certainly have the talent to do it and get back to their impressive form that made them Nassau County and Long Island Champions just two years ago.
While the team did lose some seniors heading into this school year, they still have a lot of younger players to bolster their squad. Led by Head Coach Mr. Shane Helfner, the team is headlined by sophomores Evie Loewy and Christiana Kent, both of whom were named top 30 girls tennis players on Long Island by Newsday, an extremely impressive achievement for the young stars.
The team also includes older players such as senior Catherine Karman and junior Juliana Johnson that help lead the heavily underclassmen team in practice and before matches. These players really feel something special about this year, which has led to extra hard work in practice.
“We’ve been working really hard in practice to make sure we’re ready to go for the matches,” said junior Juliana Johnson.
To start the 2024 campaign, Port was given a tough slate of games. The season started with a tough matchup against Roslyn High School, which they lost by a score of 5-2. However, they got back on track with an away victory over a very solid Great Neck South team.
For their third match of the season, they once again were scheduled to play a tough opponent in Syosset High School, a team that were Long Island Champions and the New York State runner-up last year. This was certainly a test for a Vikings team with high aspirations. But, at home, their determination proved in a marginal 4-3 victory.
“Syosset is a really good team, so I think our victory really shows that we are an extremely talented team this year and that we can go far in the playoffs,” said junior Elle Garmisa.
Riding their momentum, Port won again against Hewlett High School by a score of 6-1. After a tough loss, this three game win streak has proved a strong start for the Vikings in a season with such high expectations.
In their upcoming games, the girls look to continue their hot streak as they aim for conference and county honors. In the coming weeks, the Vikings are set for some important rematches against Roslyn and Great Neck South. Considering that the girls suffered a loss to Roslyn to open the season, and that the Bulldogs are atop Conference I, this will certainly be an important game for the conference title and playoff seeding.
“This is a game the team and I are looking forward to. It’ll be a true test, but I think we’re ready for it,” said junior Maya Rosen.
The girls will then take on Syosset and Hewlett once again in back to back games. This will prove to be a difficult stretch, considering both games are away and near the end of the season. The Vikings will finish up the season with games against Cold Spring Harbor High School, Great Neck North High School, and rival Manhasset High School before they look towards the playoffs. These end of the season games will likely decide a potential conference title for Port Washington if they find themselves in that spot. Furthermore, Cold Spring Harbor and Manhasset could be in the race, making these games even more important.
The girls tennis team is ready to put in all their effort to have an incredible season this year. And once late Oct. rolls around, they plan to pay off their hard work in the playoffs.