The Huntington High School varsity and junior varsity girls’ tennis teams can’t wait to start practicing on their newly refurbished court complex. The first day of practice is Monday, August 23 at 7:30 a.m. Anyone entering grades 9-12 is welcome to join in on the fun.
The six court complex was completely resurfaced this summer. A rubberized epoxy was used to repair all cracks and then the entire playing resurface was renovated, including new lines. A new stone retaining wall along the outside of the courts was installed along with a new concrete staircase leading from the road.
Last season’s varsity team consisted mostly of underclassmen, which has raised hopes for success this fall. The Blue Devils lost only two players to graduation.
Rising senior Tallulah Pitti earned All-County honors after compiling an 8-7 mark in singles and doubles play and advancing to the Section XI individual tournament. “She improved dramatically,” head coach Jamie Fishlow said. Tallulah has the potential to surpass this year’s post-season success. She’s the best player on the team.”
Incoming seniors Alyson Baker and Regan Sansiviero are also returning after playing to All-League recognition last season.
Baker and Sansiviero were Huntington’s No. 1 doubles team. “They were mainstays in our doubles lineup and went 5-5 playing together against some of the best teams in the county,” Fishlow said.
Joining the returning varsity veterans are Kate Balm, McKenna Buffa, Anna Bell Young, Molly Fallon, Emily Geller, Carleigh Tracy and Daniela Luca.
The Huntington High School JV girls’ tennis team is coming off a great season that saw the squad compile a a 7-3 record while showcasing numerous promising players.
Coached by physical education teacher Eric Mininni and captained by Emily Kustera and Kiera Coulter, the Blue Devils were often shorthanded, but very competitive in most meets.
“This was a hardworking and very coachable group of girls,” Mininni said. “They wanted to make themselves better and constantly worked on their skills at practice.”
Kustera played in the No. 1 singles spot as an eighth grader and went 5-5 against the best player on every opponent’s team. “Emily was very impressive against the toughest players in the league,” Mininni said. Coulter went 7-3 in No. 3 singles and seventh grader Isabella Palacios was 7-3 in the No. 4 singles position.
“Kiera did a great job in every match while Isabella is a fabulous athlete who had some of the most exciting points and matches this season,” Mininni said.
Jane Callery was 8-2 in No. 3 singles. “Jane was probably the quietest member of the team,” Mininni said. “She let her skills do all the talking out on the court.”
Vincenza Garofalo and Tess Markotsis also made their mark in their first season of high school play as eighth graders.
Ellie Kaufman and Kimberly Panameno bolstered the Blue Devil lineup. The JV included four athletes from Finley in Emily Kustera, Isabella Palacios, Vincenza Garofalo and Tess Markotsis.
Kaufman, Markotsis and Garofalo all tallied a team high six wins in doubles. The well-balanced team was hard to beat and had fun winning dozens of matches this spring.
The Blue Devil varsity has a 14 meet regular season schedule with the JV team playing 13 meets. The varsity schedule includes the following meets:
Sept. 10: Smithtown East at Huntington at 4 p.m.
Sept. 11: Huntington at Half Hollow Hills East at 10 a.m.
Sept. 14: Huntington at Sayville at 4 p.m.
Sept. 17: East Islip at Huntington at 4 p.m.
Sept. 18: Islip at Huntington at 4 p.m.
Sept. 21: Huntington at Bay Shore at 4 p.m.
Sept. 23: Huntington at Smithtown West at 4 p.m.
Sept. 24: Northport at Huntington at 4 p.m.
Sept. 28: Huntington at Half Hollow Hills West at 4 p.m.
Sept. 30: Connetquot at Huntington at 4 p.m.
Oct. 1: Commack at Huntington at 4:15 p.m.
Oct. 5: Deer Park at Huntington at 4 p.m.
Oct. 7: Huntington at Harborfields at 4 p.m.
Oct. 8: Huntington at Hauppauge at 4 p.m.
Interested in playing junior varsity or varsity tennis with the Blue Devils this fall? Need more information? Send a message to Coach Fishlow at triforall1@yahoo.com or Coach Mininni at emininni@hufsd.edu.
Interested in playing for the Blue Devils? Girls’ tennis players are asked to report to the high school nurse’s office on Thursday, August 19 at 10 a.m. to get cleared/requalified for the fall season. Players need to have had a physical exam within the past 12 months.
Checklist prior to tryouts:
The nurse can only clear a student-athlete who has the following forms on file:
• Private physician physical exam form: (link below)
http://www.hufsd.edu/assets/pdf/resources/2021/health/private_physical_exam_form.pdf
• Interval health history form: (link below)
http://www.hufsd.edu/assets/pdf/athletics/2022/interval_health_history.pdf
http://www.hufsd.edu/assets/pdf/athletics/2022/interval_health_history-sp.pdf
All Blue Devil student-athletes are also required to submit a blue parent permission form to their coach no later than the first day of tryouts/practice.
The form can be found at this link:
• Parent permission form:
http://www.hufsd.edu/assets/pdf/athletics/2022/parent_consent_form.pdf
Players who want a physical exam performed by the school doctor can report to the nurse’s office on Thursday, August 19 at 8 a.m.