The J. Taylor Finley Middle School girls’ tennis team is back on the court after a brief hiatus. The district cut the program in a cost saving move in 2020, but due to student demand, the team was reestablished for this fall.
Woodhull physical education teacher Eric Triolo is back at the helm of the team as its head coach. The three court complex was completely renovated over the summer.
The roster includes 17 players, including seventh graders Grace Callery, Katherine Gordon, Lila Kennelly, Alexandra Learned, Fiona Lynch, Dylan McKean, Ella Palatnek, Jocelyn Thorbourne and Darcy Verville; and eighth graders Bridget Callery, Katherine Gordon, Olivia Kaufman, Kyra Larsen, Naomi Lyons, Grace Oliva, Emma Polinsky and Riley Uvena.
Finley will play a 10 match schedule with home and away meets against Oldfield, Hauppauge and Elwood and single contests against Stimson, Northport, East Northport and Commack.
“We have a very nice group of players this year,” Triolo said. The team is working on sharpening its singles and doubles skills, testing out some doubles team combinations and improving all facets of their game.
“We want this to be a fun, learning experience,” Triolo said. “We expect to be very competitive against every opponent. It’s great to have the program intact again. There is a lot of interest in the sport of tennis at Finley.”